Heineken to Expand Operations in the Southeast

Heineken will invest US$509.2 million to build a new brewing plant in Yucatan. Meanwhile, Mexico’s agri-food trade balance achieved a surplus of US$5.7 billion during the first seven months of 2023.

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Heineken to Build New Plant in Yucatan

Heineken Mexico announced an investment of US$509.2 million for the installation of the company's first brewing plant in Yucatan. Through this project the company aims to meet the growing demand in the southeast and take advantage of the road, rail and port connectivity advantages that the region offers. In line with Heineken's global sustainability strategy, the plant will incorporate circular economy practices, minimize waste generation in production and use renewable energy. 

Mexico Registers US$5.7 Billion Agri-Food Trade Surplus

SADER reported that Mexico’s agri-food trade balance achieved a surplus of US$5.7 billion during the first seven months of 2023, marking a significant year-on-year increase of 13.1% compared to the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, livestock and fishing products, as well as agro-industrial exports, reached a surplus of US$1.07 billion and US$4.7 billion, respectively. According to SADER, leading export categories were beverages, vegetables and fruits, collectively accounting for 61% of products sold internationally.

AI: Bimbo’s Secret Ingredient to Success

Grupo Bimbo, in association with Microsoft, developed two artificial intelligence (AI) programs to facilitate the work of its employees around the world. Using Microsoft Azure AI technologies, the company developed a chatbot so users can make inquiries about the company's policies. Similarly, given the success of this technology, Grupo Bimbo decided to create a second program for the global communication team. Bimbo expects that AI solutions will help the company to better understand its customers and provide quicker responses to the market. 

Challenges Confronting the Agri-Food Sector

With a production value of US$13.3 billion, Jalisco consolidated itself as Mexico's leading agri-food producer. Nevertheless, there are challenges that pose a risk to agricultural productivity, including climate change and labor shortages. Andrés Canales, President, Agri-Food and Agro-Industrial Development Council of Jalisco (CDAAJ), noted that extreme climatic events, such as droughts, reduce the availability of irrigation water, while floods destroy crops and result in significant economic losses. In this regard, different national and international actors called on the public sector to work in coordination with agri-industrial producers to deliver the necessary solutions to these issues. 

Nestlé Announces Winners of Regeneration by All Initiative

Nestlé, in alliance with The Yield Lab LATAM, announced the 10 winning startups selected in Regeneración by All, an initiative that aims at finding innovative and sustainability focused projects managed by local entrepreneurs within the agri-food sector. Selected startups will contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, promote packaging circularity and efficient water management in agriculture.  Moreover, they will receive financial support to conduct a pilot test in the Mexican market and will have the opportunity to establish a long-term relationship with Nestlé. 

Mexico, US Collaborate to Enhance Fresh Food Safety and Trade

Mexican and US authorities met to discuss advances in food health during the annual meeting of the Alliance for Food Safety. Over the past year, producers and marketers of fresh foods have been provided with extensive training on good agricultural practices. This was accompanied by substantial progress in approving laboratory techniques for the timely detection of pathogens, including hepatitis A and Cyclospora cayetanensis. David Soriano, Director General, SENASICA, emphasized Mexico's commitment to expanding safety measures in fresh food production and packaging units to benefit both Mexican consumers and trading partners. 

Grupo Modelo is Paving the Way for Sustainable Beer Packaging

Grupo Modelo aims for 100% of its beer bottles to be returnable or primarily made from recycled materials by 2025. The “Every Bottle Counts” initiative’s main goal is to recover all the bottles lost in the value chain. Consumers can participate in this campaign by committing to return the bottles at different collection points. Moreover, through the “Modelo Recyclers” entrepreneurship program, the company seeks to contribute to productive development and enhance the community’s living conditions. To date, the campaign has recovered 478 million bottles, preventing the release of 110,177 t of CO2.