Beer Globalization in Latin America

[ensho]

http://www.counterpunch.org/dangl02232010.html


When Beer in Mexico is Dutch and Chica in Colombia is Popular


On a pleasant autumn day in 1890 the Cuauhtémoc brewery was founded in Monterrey, Mexico. This brewery, which also specialized in ice production, went on to become Mexican Economic Development Inc. (FEMSA), brewing such beers as Dos Equis, Tecate and Sol. Recently the Dutch brewing giant Heineken bought FEMSA, bringing over half of the world’s beer production into the hands of just four mega-corporations. One Mexican columnist wrote of the merger in La Jornada, “Just a bit more globalization and we will all be lost.”

The concentration of beer production into the hands of a few brewers is reflective of what is happening in economies across the globe. Homogenization of culture and the centralization of wealth and power naturally follow corporate globalization. Though the recent merger in Mexico is emblematic of this profit-driven trend, homegrown examples of grassroots alternatives have emerged in the kitchens and coca fields of Colombia and Bolivia.
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however, climate change will play havoc with the globe

the best laid plans of the Barons will go astray

keep someone local that knows how to make beer

[trotsky]

1. It cannot be said enough...

DRINK LOCAL BEER.

Or if your local selection isn't that great, at least drink microbrews.

[hughee99]

2. The beer in Mexico is Dutch?

It's the same beer, likely made by the exact same workers, in the same location, in the same way. The only difference is that the people who own the brewery and market the product are Dutch. Does that really make it a Dutch beer? The beer-making process is relatively simple, it's not a super-secret science that will soon be lost in the archives of a few huge corporations.

Good general points about globalization, but any product one can make in their own home in sufficient quantities is not one we have to worry about the corporate monopolies for.