Latin America

Argentina found itself navigating through turbulent economic waters in 2023, grappling with political dysfunction and economic instability against the backdrop of one of the world's highest inflation rates. The prevailing macroeconomic environment…

Growth in total volume sales of alcoholic drinks in Bolivia in 2023 was considerably slower than that recorded in 2022. This was mainly due to the stabilisation of on-trade demand, which had rebounded strongly in the previous two years in tandem with…

2022 marked a significant step in Brazil’s post-COVID-19 recovery, as consumers began to fully embrace socialisation and return to their former habits. Many people went back to their offices, resumed open-air sports, and reconnected with friends by…

In 2023, alcoholic drinks in Chile saw a second year of total volume decline. The industry was shaped by a complex interplay of economic factors and changing consumer preferences. In analysing these trends, it is essential to consider how economic…

2023 was a more challenging year for alcoholic drinks in Colombia, both in the retail channel and the on-trade including bars, restaurants and night clubs. After the strong growth recorded following the end of the pandemic, high inflation impacted…

Costa Rica registered healthy volume growth in alcoholic drinks in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to…

The picture was bleak for alcoholic drinks in Dominican Republic in 2022. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to high inflation and dampening volume sales somewhat. That being said, the appreciation of…

Ecuador’s widespread vaccination campaign helped Ecuador to start 2022 with the effects of the pandemic greatly reduced. There were still outbreaks in the first quarter due to the omicron variant, which led to mild restrictions during this period.…

Alcoholic drinks sales continued to rebound in 2023 with beer and aguardiente leading the recovery due to some consumer downtrading, while the on-trade benefited from increased tourism. Beer and spirits remain the largest categories, while wine sales…

Alcoholic drinks witnessed strong growth in total volume terms in 2022 despite the economic difficulties facing many consumers in Guatemala, some of whom rely on economic support from family living in the US. Sales of alcoholic drinks in Guatemala…

Steady economic growth in Honduras in 2023 boosted consumption and demand for beer, wine, spirits, and RTDs, with beer being the largest category. Sales through restaurants, bars, and nightclubs continued to grow, with a recovery in the on-trade…

The Mexican economy registered growth of just over 3% throughout 2023 in real terms and with seasonally adjusted figures, according to information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). Although this was the second…

Volume sales of alcoholic drinks rose in 2023 fuelled by a favourable economic climate including another year of strong real GDP growth and low inflation. However, despite improvement in the on-trade, the off-trade surpassed 2019 volume sales in many…

Total volume sales of alcoholic drinks in Paraguay maintained positive growth in 2023. Demand was boosted by the full resumption of society in the wake of the pandemic and subsequent release of pent-up demand as well as the return of tourism.…

In 2022, positive growth was seen from all alcoholic drink categories, with the return of socialising following the outbreak of COVID-19 increasing total volume sales. This has given rise to consumption occasions, allowing beer and RTDs to gain new…

Macroeconomic indicators played a huge role in the evolution of the alcoholic drinks market in Uruguay in 2022. As in most countries, inflation was a major issue during the period. Inflation ended at around 9% in 2022, the third highest recorded in…

In 2023, beer in Argentina experienced negative growth, primarily influenced by a combination of rampant inflation and increasing costs of essential goods such as energy and food. These economic challenges significantly impacted both companies and…

Beer in Bolivia saw on-trade volume growth slow significantly in 2023. This was mainly explained by the normalisation of on-trade consumption patterns following the impressive rebound over 2021-2022 that accompanied the easing of the pandemic and the…

Following the remarkable success of beer in 2021, the category demonstrated resilience and continued to achieve total volume growth in 2022. The return of socialisation, events, and on-trade consumption occasions played a significant role in…

Beer in Chile maintained total volume decline in 2023, with sales falling both on-trade and off-trade. Mid-priced lager encountered a notable total volume decline, which can be attributed to a confluence of factors, chiefly revolving around robust…

Beer in Colombia achieved positive retail volume growth in 2023, despite the inflationary pressures impacting consumers’ budgets. The affordability of beer compared to other alcoholic drinks supported category sales, although there was a notable…

Beer registered healthy volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The FIFA World Cup in December also contributed to the high levels of…

It was a negative year for beer in the Dominican Republic in 2022, with a significant decline in volume sales. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to high inflation and dampening volume sales and also…

A number of key sporting events boosted beer sales in 2022. Guayaquil hosted the final of the Copa Libertadores bringing many tourists in from Latin America, most of them Brazilians who enjoy drinking beer. Amstel launched a special commemorative…

Beer dominates sales of alcoholic drinks in the country in total volume terms, but despite this these products continue to see growing interest from Guatemalan consumers. Beer saw strong growth in total volume terms in 2022 boosted by the sustained…

Beer in Mexico showed a total volume decline in 2023, as consumption normalised after a rebound to growth during the previous year. On-trade consumption declined slightly, as social gatherings and dining-out decreased compared with previous years,…

Due to the ongoing economic and social crisis, Peruvian consumers have been turning to beer, which offers price points aligned with reduced disposable budgets. Additionally, Heineken's entry in 2019 saw a greater offer of brands available at various…

Almost all beers performed well in 2022, both in the off-trade and on-trade channels, and amongst beers, imported brands performed better than the average. Stella Artois and Nova Schin were amongst the most successful of the imported brands in 2022.

Despite the economic crisis, cider sales exhibited positive growth in Argentina in 2023. This growth was driven by an increasing number of consumers regularly choosing cider over sparkling wine and beer. Significant investments were observed from…

Cider/perry in Bolivia posted a decline in total volume sales in 2023, with demand contracting at the off- and on-trade levels after having increased at a robust pace in 2022. The downturn was mainly attributable to contraband trade, particularly the…

It is important to understand consumer behaviour during times of high inflation, especially in Brazil, including the inflationary situation in 2022. Inflation has been a long-standing issue in Brazil, and the memory of high inflation during the 1990s…

Cider in Chile experienced only low total volume growth in 2023, with increases for both channels. Climate change emerged as a significant factor hampering growth. The production of cider relies heavily on the cultivation of apples, and the category…

In 2023, demand for cider/perry declined in Colombia where consumption of cider is very low and by far the smallest of the five main alcoholic drinks categories. Most local consumers are not aware of this product, because of its limited availability…

Cider/Perry continued to be niche product in terms of value and volume sales. However, it registered high double-digit volume growth in 2022. Cider/perry benefitted from the removal of pandemic restrictions and increased socialising through on-trade…

Sales of cider/perry remained negligible in Ecuador in 2021.

Despite the negative trend in overall alcoholic drinks consumption, cider/perry showed a slight total volume increase in Mexico in 2023, although growth was driven by off-trade sales, as on-trade sales turned to decline. Total volume growth was…

Cider has been losing share amongst Uruguay alcoholic drinks options for the last 15 years. Although it witnessed an unexpected strong bounce in 2020 (related to voluntary home seclusion during the pandemic) and further marginal growth in 2021, the…

The year 2023 witnessed a challenging landscape for Ready-to-Drink (RTDs) sales in Argentina, predominantly shaped by the pervasive grip of inflationary pressures. This economic phenomenon exerted significant strain on the purchasing power of…

RTDs in Bolivia showed another solid performance in 2023, with off- and on-trade volume sales growing at robust rates. Continued investment in innovation and marketing activities helped to maintain strong consumer interest in the category. For…

While RTDs has experienced consistent total volume growth over the years, even throughout the pandemic, it is currently facing some challenges, which caused a slowdown in its momentum in 2022. One of the main issues is the relatively high unit prices…

In 2023, Ready-To-Drink beverages (RTDs) in Chile saw a total volume decline, with falling sales both on-trade and off-trade. The category encountered a significant hurdle in the form of inflation, which played a pivotal role in curbing demand for…

Although the consumption of RTDs is still small in Colombia, this is the fastest growing category within alcoholic drinks in 2023. RTDs continue to draw the attention of younger adults, not only due to the lower alcohol content and sweeter flavours,…

RTDs in Costa Rica are growing in popularity, especially among younger generations as they are often sweet, also often have low-calorie content and a low ABV, especially RTDs such as hard seltzers. Parents also like RTDs as introductory drinks for…

RTDs in Costa Rica are growing in popularity, especially among younger consumers as they are often sweet and this suits a less developed palette. In 2022, RTDs registered healthy double-digit volume growth. However, in spite of this significant…

Azende Corp Cía Ltda continues to lead the RTD category in 2022 with its Switch brand. Aimed at young adults, Azende has used a strong social media campaign with a funny and fresh message to engage its audience. Switch is a well-known spirit-based…

Cervecería Centroamericana SA successfully launched its Karma brand of spirit-based RTDs during the review period. The brand has taken advantage of its lower price positioning (GTQ5 per 350ml unit), a strong distribution reach in modern, traditional…

RTDs maintained solid total volume growth in 2023, with increases seen both on-trade and off-trade. RTDs is comprised of spirit-based and wine-based RTDs, plus other RTDs (mainly hard seltzers). It was the latter that showed the strongest total…

2022 was a year of accelerated growth for RTDs, with the landscape having seen ongoing growth since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made RTDs an attractive proposition for both local and foreign companies, which have found opportunities…

RTDs was one of the biggest winners in the Uruguayan alcoholic drinks market in 2022. Of the different RTDs segments, spirit-based drinks put in the best performance over the review period as a whole. Growth has been in line with the trend towards…

Spirits sales exhibited stagnation in terms of total volume in Argentina in 2023, as consumers' purchasing power deteriorated against rampant inflation. However, some spirits continued to outperform, notably bitters, which hold the majority of…