This Is Where Dos Equis Is Brewed (Mexico, The Netherlands)

If you live in the United States, the chances that you have run into either Dos Equis beer or the Most Interesting Man In The World advertisement are extremely high. This beer went decades in the shadows of other Mexican beer imports but finally made its big break in the 2000s. While many have come to love this beer, there are still questions about where the beer was first made.

Dos Equis is a Mexican beer first brewed in Mexico in 1897 under the name Siglo XX. The beer is brewed majorly in Mexico across Monterrey, Guadalajara, Toluca, Tecate, Orizaba, and Meoqui. The beer has also recently been brewed in Zoeterwoude, a municipality in the province of South Holland, The Netherlands.

There’s a lot more to the production of this beer. In this article, we will walk you through the production of the beer, its brewing locations within and outside the Americas, who owns the beer now, and its headquarters.

Where Was Dos Equis Founded?

The history of this beer can be traced to 1890, when German immigrant Wilhelm Hasse founded the Moctezuma Brewery in Veracruz, Mexico. Seven years later, Wilhelm Hasse first brews Dos Equis. However, the beer’s original name was Siglo XX, meaning “Twentieth Century.” This was obviously a reference to the imminent turn of the 20th century.

After entry into the 20th century, the company changed the beer’s name to Dos Equis. This comes from the Roman numeral for 20, which is XX. This is, again, another reference to the new century. Dos Equis literally translates into Two Xs.

The beer remained uneventful for many years. This was partly due to the dominance of Corona and other Grupo beers on the market. Also, the beer didn’t make any sort of impact in the United States when it was imported in 1973. It was not until 2006 that the beer gained any sort of foothold in the United States beer industry.

This was unarguably because of the Most Interesting Man In The World targeted advertisements. It sought to break the norm of beer drinkers having pretty average lives. It worked like a charm! Three years after that specific advertisement campaign launched, the beer was declared the fastest-growing import in the United States.

Now, the beer is the third in the number of sales among Mexican beers in the United States, shipping 2 million barrels in 2017.

Where Is Dos Equis Brewed In Mexico?

This beer, classified as an American lager, was born in Mexico, so it is not much of a surprise that the beer is primarily brewed in Mexico. Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, the brewing company of Dos Equis, operates seven brewing plants in Mexico.

Dos Equis is brewed in the following locations across Mexico: Monterrey, Guadalajara, Toluca, Tecate, Orizaba, and Meoqui. The chief brewery seems to be the Monterrey plant.

Where Is Dos Equis Brewed In The United States?

Unfortunately, Dos Equis is not brewed in the United States – at least, not yet. The biggest importer of Mexican beers is the United States. One would think Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma would have a few breweries there, but that’s not the case.

It isn’t as ridiculous as it may initially seem when you think about it for a while. Mexico border the United States, meaning the company doesn’t have to travel too long or spend hugely getting their beers into the U.S.

Notwithstanding, there have been rumors that a brewery will be coming to the United States soon. The likely location is White Plains, New York.

Where Is Dos Equis Brewed In Europe?

Dos Equis does not naturally brew its beers outside of Mexico, but that had to change when the coronavirus paid us an unwelcome visit. The Mexican government was quick to shut down non-essential businesses in the country when the coronavirus became a health emergency in the country. I know beer lovers may very strongly disagree, but the government did not consider beer an essential service. Ignorant, right?!

Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma had to shut down their beer production in Mexico. This was expected to cause a sharp decline in sales as supply would not have met demand for long enough. However, the company had a plan B. They moved brewing services to Holland. To be specific, brewing was at Zoeterwoude, a municipality in the province of South Holland.

It was not entirely surprising that the company chose to move to Holland, considering their parent company, Heineken N. V., is Dutch and has breweries in Zoeterwoude. Furthermore, Dos Equis 5L kegs for the USA are brewed in Amsterdam, Holland, under license by Heineken.

While the ban on non-essential businesses in Mexico did not last too long, the company was able to compensate for any shortages in the United States supply chain. Currently, production has resumed fully in Mexico, but it is not wild to imagine the beer company will seriously consider European breweries in the near future.

Who Owns Dos Equis Now?

Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma is widely recognized as the manufacturing company and owner of Dos Equis. Interestingly, it’s not that simple.

The company has had its fair share of breakups and ownership changes. After one of the company leaders, Eugenio Garza Sada, was assassinated in 1973, the company was divided into two units: Visa and Grupo Industrial Alfa. Visa was the unit tasked with maintaining the brewery services of the business.

Shortly after, the company accrued huge debts. There were further splits, and the unit that kept the brewery services was Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (FEMSA). In 2010, Heineken bought FEMSA’s beer activities, effectively becoming the chief owner of Dos Equis. FEMSA owns 20% of Heineken N. V.

Therefore, the most appropriate answer to the question of who owns Dos Equis would be Heineken-owned Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma.

Where is Dos Equis Headquarters?

Dos Equis is a Mexican company and, as such have their headquarters in Mexico. To be precise, the headquarters for brewing and packaging US-bound Dos Equis beers is at Cervezas Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V., Monterrey, Nuevo León (NL).

You can reach them at 1-877-522-5001.