The Dutch company has just opened its most sustainable brewery close to the border between Mexico and the U.S.

On Tuesday, February 27th, Heineken opened a brand-new brewery in Meoqui, Chihuahua, Mexico. This is the seventh brewery that the company builds in Mexico becoming the biggest and greenest project.  

Heineken, based in the Netherlands, is the second largest brewery company in the world. The corporation already had plants in the Mexican states of Monterrey, Tecate, Navojoa, Guadalajara, Toluca and Orizaba. Moreover, $500 million USD were invested in this new facility and 90% of the workers hired so far are originally from the state of Chihuahua, according to the company.

The new brewery was designed to be a global reference in terms of environmental sustainability with a focus on renewable energy and efficient water usage. The aim of the company is to use just two liters of water for every liter of beer produced by 2020 and to reuse 30% of the water. Also, 90% of the electricity used will come from renewable sources (wind and solar), and 100% of the waste generated will be reused, recycled or composted.

According to GlobeNewswire, the Chairman of the Executive Board/CEO of Heineken, Jean-François van Boxmeer, has said:

“Mexico is an important market for HEINEKEN. With a developing economy, a rich geographical and demographic diversity and a flourishing beer sector, we see great additional potential here. I am proud that the Meoqui brewery will be one of our biggest and ‘greenest’ breweries showcasing our long-term commitment to the country, the region and the environment.”

The new facility has a production capacity of six million hectoliters per year and will produce leading brands such as Tecate, Dos Equis, and Heineken for the Mexican market, as well as export markets.

While the cross-border operations to get beer from Mexico to the United States could get more complicated if President Trump decides to leave NAFTA; Heineken is optimistic that the talks to renegotiate the terms of the trade deal will be successful.

Marc Busain, Heineken’s Americas president, said to Reuters that, regarding NAFTA, they “are moderately positive that in the end there will be arrangement found that suits” the three nations, and he added that the new brewery’s location was chosen “because of its proximity to the U.S. and given the importance of the export business of Tecate and Dos Equis to the U.S”.

The opening of Heineken’s new brewery takes place the same week as representatives from Mexico, Canada and, the United States are gathered in Mexico City for the seventh round of talks to revamp NAFTA. Negotiators have made very slow progress over the last six rounds and there is not a set timeline for a deal to be reached.

Latin American Post | Paula Bautista

Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto