07/25/2023

How a Mexican Lager Quietly Rose to Become America’s Best-selling Beer

Modelo Especial was on track to take the No. 1 spot for the last 10 years

More beers in America are being paired with lime than ever before.

The story of how Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, surpassed Bud Light as the top-selling beer in America predates the conservative backlash that Bud Light faced in April over a collaboration with a transgender influencer. The country’s steadily growing Hispanic population is only part of the story, too.

Rather, the factors that, for the better part of a decade, put Modelo on its triumphant track include an increasing preference among American consumers for imported, more expensive beer; a decade-old antitrust deal; and effective marketing campaigns aimed at attracting young, non-Hispanic consumers to the Mexican beer.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The New York Times.