Under the brand name of Topo Chico, Coca-Cola began to commercialize in the Costa Rican market a carbonated drink with alcohol, which belongs to the category known as "hard seltzer" or "spiked seltzer."
For now, the drink will be imported from Mexico, but Coca-Cola does not rule out producing it locally in the future.
In Costa Rica, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer will compete directly with "Adam & Eve", a product of the same category that is marketed since 2019 by Florida Ice, Farm & Co (Fifco).
A bill is being considered in Costa Rica that proposes to identify each container of this type of beverage with a device, label or sticker in order to prevent smuggling, a measure that, according to business people, would not be effective.
More than half of U.S. millennial consumers of Latino origin are attracted to Hispanic beverages, bread, tortillas, and ethnic prepared foods sold in supermarket chains.
Specialists in the field point out that nowadays Latino millennials are attracted to those supermarket chains that reflect their culture and that of their families.
As of October this year, the U.S. country will begin one of the phases of implementation of the new front labeling on food and non-alcoholic beverages, under the Labeling Law NOM-051 of the Ministry of Health.
One of the arguments that support the amendments to the Standard is the situation of health and welfare of citizens in the country. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) 2018 (to date, the latest report released), 35.6% of children between 5 and 11 years old are overweight and obese. Meanwhile, children and young people between 12 and 19 years old report 38.4%, according to the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport).
Costa Rica's Florida Ice and Farm announced that it will begin to compete in the Mexican market with the marketing of flavored alcoholic beverages of the Segram's Escapes brand in more than 6,000 sales points.
The Costa Rican company Florida Ice and Farm (FIFCO), enters with a new business model in Mexico that takes more than a year of planning and analysis, is a strategy 'light on assets' that has as its tip to develop and market in that country the brand Seagram's Escapes in the category of flavored alcoholic beverages, a product focused and customized to the consumption trends of Mexicans, said an official statement.
From October 2019, the Toña brand of beer, which is of Nicaraguan origin, will begin to be marketed in El Salvador.
Company executives indicated through a statement that the beer brewed by Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua (CCN), will be distributed in El Salvador by the company Distribuidora Morazán.
As a result of a decline in demand from some trading partners, Guatemalan exports of processed food and beverages decreased by 10% during the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Bank of Guatemala report that from January to March 2019, Guatemalan exports of processed food and beverages totaled $292 million, 10% less than the amount reported in the same period of 2018.
In the first nine months of 2018, countries in the region imported non-alcoholic beverages for $327 million, 3% less than the same period in 2017.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics]
Explore data in the interactive display.
Regional Imports Decline
Between January and September 2017 and the same period in 2018, the value imported into the region fell 3%, from $337 million to $327 million.
Businessmen in Nicaragua denounced that because of the tax reform approved by the Ortega regime, the tax burden on imports of all types of beverages has tripled.
Representatives of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Industries (Cadin) explained that before the tax reform that was approved last February came into effect, importers paid the tax on the total cargo of beverages in each import, but now it was ordered that this must be applied on the retail price of each of these products.
Embotelladora La Mariposa in Guatemala, Distribuidora La Florida in Costa Rica and Femsa in Panama are three of the companies in Central America that report the highest figures for purchases of all types of beverages.
An analysis of CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence unit provides details on the companies according to sector, main activity, volume and value of their imports, exports and other relevant data.
Sivar Brewing Company, artisanal beer producer from El Salvador, began exporting to the Honduran market through the distributor ANPHAR, S.A.
Honduras is the second Central American market in which Sivar Brewing Company (SBC) products are entering, as they have been commercialized in Guatemala since last year.
Sergio Rodriguez, general manager of SBC, told Laprensagrafica that "...
Panama's business sector asked President Varela to partially veto Law 570, which establishes an 8% tax on imported and domestically produced sugared beverages.
The rejection of the business sector comes days after the National Assembly approved, in third debate, the bill 570, which establishes an 8% tax for sugared beverages of national production and imported and 10% for syrups and concentrates.
XAGRO, announces the expansion of the company's spirits blending plant in Nueva Guniea, Nicaragua.
Caribbean Coast, Nicaragua, November 7, 2018 – XAGRO, a market leader in providing custom blends of coconut water with alcohol for specialty spirits companies announces the expansion of the company's blending plant.
XAGRO has been custom blending coconut water with alcohol for specialty spirits companies for the past 3 years using Caribbean Coconuts which are harvested from natural plantations along the coast of Nicaragua.
Partially explained by the development of new products, during 2018 the exports of the sector in Guatemala reached nearly $1.8 billion, 3% more than what was reported in 2017.
2018 was the year of the diversification of the exportable offer of the Food and Beverage Sector of AGEXPORT. The Guatemalan SMEs of this industry pointed to the development of new products seeking to meet global consumer trends.
From January to June 2018, Central American companies imported $176 million worth of alcoholic beverages, 24% more than what was purchased during the same period in 2017.
Figures from the information system on the Alcoholic Beverage Market in Central America, from the Commercial Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
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