Modelo Dethrones Bud Light as the Top-Selling Beer in the US
Modelo Especial dethroned Bud Light, but it's owned by the same parent — just not in the US.
That's where Modelo Especial came in — it's unlikely that anyone stopped drinking altogether as a result of this boycott, so the Mexican beer took some market share away and emerged as the top-selling beer in the United States in the early summer.
Interestingly, Modelo Especial is owned by the same company being boycotted — Anheuser Busch in Mexico, but not in the US, where Constellation Brands owns it. An effective boycott of a beer giant requires a bit of homework and remembering who owns which beers.
Over the years, through consolidating brands and offshoring production, Mexico has become the most significant international player in beer exports.
As pleased as we are to see Modelo and Mexican lager gaining traction internationally, in this case, we're fascinated by how it occurred. Should people get mad when a can of beer doesn't align with their ideology? Don't we all have more meaningful things to worry about?