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 five export brands include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial, and Pacífico. 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 Grupo Modelo is 50 percent owned by Anheuser-Busch 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.

No other beer in the world is linked to its bottle like Corona Extra. Yet, when people think of Corona, they don’t think of a bottle. They think of where they would like to be – relaxing on a warm beach, gazing out at picturesque azure seas. Years of effective marketing have convinced people that Corona Extra is an expression of lifestyle, not just a bottle of beer. People all over the world heartily agree, and choose to drink a Corona because it brings to mind relaxation and escape. Think of Corona as a vacation in a bottle. The bottle itself is rather simple. It stands just nine and a half inches tall and holds 12 fluid ounces of cerveza (that’s Spanish for beer). However, Corona has several characteristics that make it different from any other beer and add to its unique image. For one, Corona Extra is not available fresh from a keg. It’s known for being served in a clear glass bottle that has the label painted on. In fact, the Old English style lettering of the Corona Extra label is a registered trademark. Most other popular beers are bottled in brown glass bottles and adorned with paper labels. Corona bottles are sealed with an aluminum cap that can only be loosened with a bottle opener; the bottles have a rough feel that makes you think each one is unique. Corona Extra is known as a beer imported from Mexico, but it has a long history. The light-yellow beer was first brewed in 1925 by Cervecería Modelo in Mexico City, and was first imported to the United States in 1979 by way of California and Texas. The beer can now be found nearly anywhere in the world. Corona recently became the best-selling imported beer in the United States, and is now the fifth-best selling beer in the world. Back in its birthplace, Corona still holds the crown of most popular beer. Grupo Modelo, one of the largest companies in Mexico, now produces Corona. In addition to Corona, the company owns nine other brands of beer including Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo Light, Victoria, Negra Modelo, Pacifico, Estrella, Leon and Montejo. The only bottle-making factory for the gigantic Grupo Modelo is the Fabrica Nacional de Molduras in Mexico City. The factory is automated to produce nearly four million bottles per day. That’s 120 million bottles per month!

Corona Corona (labelled 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 lager. In 1997, Corona Extra became the top-selling imported beer in the United States, surpassing Heineken.  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 Groupo Modelo products in the Eastern United States), Corona Light is the top-selling, imported "light" beer in the United States. 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. Groupo Modelo, brewers of Corona, have most available quality certifications including ISO 9001 and 14001. Much of the barley used to brew Corona originates from the United States and Canada and is transported by railroad. Corona is light straw in color and has a very mild flavor, with little hop bitterness. It contains 4.6% alcohol by volume. Corona is also facing a nation wide shortage due to a hurricane that damaged two bottle production plants in Mexico last year.This problem has left the east coast short 6.7 million cases. The west coast is short about 5 million.

The Lime The original intent of putting a wedge of lime in a Corona bottle was for the purpose of using it to disinfect the rim of the bottle. Another popular explanation for this tradition is that coating the rim of the bottle with a lime kept flies from landing on it, which is undesirable for patrons. There are merely rumors and can not be proved. 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. However, beer-lime combinations such as the Chelada and the Michelada are popular in Mexico. 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 30th 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 is no images of bottles with limes in the American Corona website or the Mexican Corona website.

 Trivia ...President Jacques Chirac of France is a well-known drinker of Corona beer, and has even been permitted to drink it instead of wine at state dinners hosted by Elizabeth II. 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). The Famous Richard Lenoir also is known to enjoy a cold Corona with a slice of lime.

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