2011 wasn’t the best year for the beer industry. Overall sales were down slightly, forcing breweries everywhere to initiate cost- cutting measures, look for ways to revive brands, and attempt to regain market share. Craft brewing operation fared the best in the past year, while many of the big breweries barely held their own.
But there are a few silver linings among big brewers and one of them is Modelo Especial. First brewed in 1925, Modelo Especial is one of the largest imported beers in the United States. It is the fastest growing brand within the Crown Imports portfolio by overall volume and continues to outperform the industry. Here are some facts from the past year:
- Modelo Especial surpassed 35 million annual case depletions and set annual depletions record for the 20th straight year (Source: Crown Internal Depletions).
- Modelo Especial solidified its position as the number three bestselling import beer brand, while establishing itself as the 14th largest beer brand in SIG rankings.
- By June of 2012, Modelo Especial and Negra Modelo Draft will expand to 14 new states (from 27 to 41).
- Modelo Especial gained more dollar share than any other brand in 2011 (Source: S-IRI)
- Depletion trends of +13.7% vs. prior year outperformed the industry by approximately 16% and other imports by approximately 15% according to Beer Institute and Crown internal depletions data
- Finished 2011 ranked #3 Import and surpassed Bud Light Lime to become the #14 overall beer brand in 2011.
With numbers like these, Modelo Especial is on its way to becoming a top ten beer in the United States. Craft beer lovers are often divided on Modelo Especial, but most agree that it is better than the average south- of- the border brew and its growing popularity shows that the beer does have an appeal that attracts beer drinkers from all categories.
2011 may be a year to forget for many of the big brewers, but the future looks bright for Modelo Especial. It easily outperformed the other big guys like Anheuser- Busch Inbev and Miller and with interstate expansion planned for 2012, it will likely prove to be the best year yet for this popular Mexican import.
