Mas Corona

Grupo Modelo, the maker of Corona beer, recently formed a new distribution deal in the United States. According to an article in El Economista, Modelo's U.S. distributor imported only 150,000 boxes of beer back in 1978. This year it brought in more than 70 million boxes.

In related news, Grupo Modelo also announced plans to double the number of convenience stores it operates. FEMSA, Mexico's biggest Coca-Cola bottler and the brewer of Sol, already has more than 4,000 Oxxo locations, which exclusively sell FEMSA products. Oxxo doesn't stock Pepsi or Corona. 7-11, although a bit pricier, sells everything. Wal-Mart receives a lot of flack for supposedly hurting small comerciantes in Mexico, but the country's beer duopoly has probably put the squeeze on mom-and-pop shops more effectively than any big-box retailer.