Heineken at home in Mexico

Heineken's new look: now brewed in Orizaba

Premium brand segmentation begins in earnest

Segmentation of the Mexican market is a step closer to reality with brewing of Heineken now underway in the country.

A year on from Heineken’s acquisition of FEMSA Cerveza, the second ranked player in Mexico’s brewing duopoly, Heineken lager is now being brewed at Orizaba in Veracruz.

John Nicolson, Heineken Americas regional president, commented, “The premium segment is currently a relatively small and underdeveloped part of the Mexican beer market, but is growing fast as popularity for premium brands among consumers continues to increase.”

Heineken will be available across Mexico in the relaunched embossed long-neck bottles and in cans dressed with tactile inks. The launch is backed by advertising, a print campaign in up-market magazines and outdoor billboard advertising.

Brand portfolio management was one of the growth drivers cited by Heineken when it acquired FEMSA in 2010. Mexico, one the world’s most profitable beer markets, lacked a well-known, widely available international premium brand at the time