Grupo Modelo

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Grupo Modelo
Type	Private company
Founded	1991^[1]
Headquarters	Mexico City
Industry	Brewery
Products	Brewery products
Revenue	Mex$ 49.551 billion (2005)
Operating income	Mex$ 13.773 billion (2006)
Net income	Mex$ 7.291 billion (2005)
Employees	40,617 (2005)
Website	Official Site

A bottle of Corona

Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico. It maintains a large part of the Mexican beer export market and produces top-selling imported beer in the United States and Canada. Its six export brands include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial, Model Light, and Pacífico.^[1] Grupo Modelo also brews brands intended solely for the domestic Mexican market, including Victoria (a recent advertising campaign for this brand was centered on the fact that it is unavailable abroad); Estrella (a local beer found only in western Mexico); and León and Montejo (originally local to Yucatán but now available nationwide). Grupo Modelo has marketshare of 56% in Mexico^[1] Grupo Modelo is 52 percent owned by Anheuser-Busch(as of late 2006 early 2007) but control of the company remains with the Mexican Partners (direct descendants of the founders of the company) of Grupo Modelo. Grupo Modelo has exclusive rights in Mexico for the import and distribution of beer produced by Anheuser-Busch.^[1]

1 Corona
2 The lime
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Corona

Corona (labeled Corona Extra, but seldom referred to as such) is the top-selling beer in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide. Available in over 150 countries, it is also Mexico's leading export brand. It was first brewed in 1925 by Cerveceria Modelo on the tenth anniversary of the brewery, and is a pilsner. In 1997, Corona Extra became the top-selling imported beer in the United States, surpassing Heineken. [1]

Corona beer is available in a variety of bottled presentations, ranging from the 250-mL ampolleta (labeled Coronita and just referred as the cuartito) up to the 940-mL Corona Familiar (known as the caguama or ballena). A draught version also exists, as does canned Corona in some markets. According to the Gambrinus Company (the current importer of Grupo Modelo products in the Eastern United States), Corona Light is the top-selling, imported "light" beer in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Unlike many beers, Corona is bottled in a clear bottle, increasing the opportunity for spoilage. Exposure to sunlight significantly damages the taste of beer, yielding a taste that is often described as "skunky". This is the result of the essential hop oils spoiling due to UV exposure. However, during distribution, Corona is not typically stored in direct sunlight. Grupo Modelo, brewers of Corona, have most available quality certifications including ISO 9001 and 14001.

Corona beers are light straw in color and have a very mild flavor, with little hop bitterness. Corona contains 4.6% alcohol by volume while Corona Light has 3.7% alcohol by volume.

[edit] The lime

It is common in Europe, the United States and Canada for Corona to be served with a slice of lime in the neck. This practice is less common in Mexico itself, outside of areas frequented by tourists^{[citation needed]}. However, beer-lime combinations such as the Chelada and the Michelada are popular in Mexico^{[citation needed]}.

The reason for the lime is that hop compounds degrade when they come into contact with light. This causes beer in green bottles or clear bottles to turn 'skunky.' The lime is used to mask this aroma. [2]

In Japan and Korea, slices of lemon are widely used in place of lime slices because limes are not widely available and are quite expensive in East Asia^{[citation needed]}.

In Australia, either a slice of lemon, or a slice of lime are used, depending on what the bar has, and patrons are often given a choice of either lemon or lime^{[citation needed]}.

In 1998, Eurocermex began trying to register the image of a clear bottle with a slice of lime in the neck as a community trade mark, but on June 30, 2005, the European Court of Justice rejected it as indistinctive.

The outline of a bottle with a slice of lime can be seen in Corona POS Merchandise, as well as the European Corona website. Interestingly, there are no images of bottles with limes in the American Corona website or the Mexican Corona website.

[edit] Trivia

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President Jacques Chirac of France is a well-known drinker of Corona beer^[2], and has even been permitted to drink it instead of wine at state dinners hosted by Queen Elizabeth II^{[citation needed]}.
Modelo was the first brand of the brewery. Corona was introduced on the brewery's tenth anniversary.
In Spain, Corona is sold as Coronita, Corona (Spanish for "crown") being a trademark of the Spanish royal family.
Corona was rock star Jim Morrison's favorite beer (along with Tecate).
Millionaire brewmaster Jon Corona is currently a Bureau Reporter with PA SportsTicker in Cheshire, CT.
Actor and director Clint Eastwood is an avid Corona drinker.
During the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston, the Argentine soccer team was allowed to drink Corona during dinner meals.
The Grupo Modelo is the current owner of the Mexican soccer team Santos Laguna from the city of Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico.