Corruption in the Beer industry

Corruption in the Beer industry

Abraham Lee

Art 3170

November 10, 2020

Background

Here in the US close to all individuals over the legal drinking age of 21 will have heard of one of the following beers: Especial, Pacificos, Corona, and Modelo, famously phrased as, “Its Modelo time!” All these big time beer brands are branches from the father company Constellation Brand, a fortune 500 company, that is one of the biggest sources of income and trade for Mexico supplying mainly to the US. Constellation has been extremely successful over the years, sales worldwide ranging upwards of 8 billion U.S. dollars since 2012. Due to their huge margins of success, the brewery is planning, in 5 years time, to open another megafactory ready “to invest another $500 million for infrastructure, land and water rights to double production over time.” The plant is foreseen to be placed in a small agricultural, border town called Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; which is figured to make 10 million hectoliters of beer (264 million gallons), according to the company press rel ease, while tapping into the local wells for a total of 1.8 billion gallons of water a year.

Behind the Beer

Sergio Eduardo and Montes Montoya, chairmen of Constellation Brands, claim that economic advancements that the projects will produce by opening 750 permanent occupations for the people of Mexicali, they are able to ignores the negative effects of the factory, as they also sit comfortably as mayors as directors of Urban Administration. This clear conflict of interest goes on in Mexico, allowing these “majors,” to pass regulation and disregard the rights of the people in order to maximize profit. In the desert area of Mexicali, fresh water is a luxury that is greatly restricted as the temperatures easily reach over 100 degrees, while clean drinking water is a scarcity. Still in this highly agriculture centered society, Constella Brand plans to tap into their commodity of water that would greatly restrict their produce, for the production of their beers that hardly enter their own markets in Mexico, and as a result doesn’t enter their economy. For the gain of Constellation Brand the people must suffer not only the use of their precious resources, which compromises their own livelihood and source of income, this corruption may eventually result in the displacements of whole families and the desertion of the desert city, Mexicali.

How Im Involved

Personally I can continue to indulge in ignorance with some Constellation Brand beers without being directly affected, as I am not or directly affiliated with the people in question. Instead what urges me towards this topic is the lack of response to the issues and responsibility that people in the US feel when they fuel the flames. While the exploitation and economic grooming by exploiting Mexico for its land, resources, and workers, are on a multi million dollar business trade including Constellation Brand, a Fortune 500 company, bridging between two neighboring countries, whose relations are rocky as it stands. We as humans must regularly practice due diligence and decency to be the voice for the unheard, fight for the weak, and help for those in need. My passion for this topic comes from a number of personal reasons. First I feel that the United States historically has and continues to blatantly exploit other nations, countries, and people for financial gain. Creating a demand for such beers, outsourcing for the work and labor, and creating a false sense of mutualistic relation, while this trade is eventually hurting the people of Mexico, the trust and relations to government, and the overall country in the long run. Secondly, I have a girlfriend as well as friends that are of Latinx or chicano heritage, who at varying degrees have become more and more passionate about politics in favor of their beliefs according to the culture of their people. Especially with the socio-political climate here in the United States, with Donald Trump being the current president has truly galvanized the youth into education and action. Seeing this shift to the importance of competence in politics has been a huge beneficial change that is palpable in the new generation that has had an effect on me as I am  surrounded by such individuals. My final reason as to why this topic matters to me, is for the reason that although I notice a shift in being aware of the situation here in the United States, I have felt a distancing of people from their native countries, often Mexico, from my peers. Oftentimes the passion my friends exude for the injustices here in the US do not carry south of the border for their mother countries, which leaves me confused, angry, and more passionate to uncover the truth that many are unwilling to face.

                                                                       Affected Community

                              Jasmine: Jasmine is in fact my girlfriend who has brought this topic to my attention who is highly aware of the current situation being half Mexican half Spanish, culturally identifying as Mexican. Because she is aware of the unjust proceedings south of the border, her main concern is the fact that more people are not aware of the current ongoing events. This leaves one to wonder all the other inhumane acts going on in Mexico that are not being properly addressed her in the United States. Jasmine also mentioned the power and influence that money has over the people of Mexico, so halting proceedings of the creation of the Constellation Brand factory being built would prove very difficult. Even still, many Americans all over the country mindlessly consume these beer products, if more transparent understanding of consequences was exposed to the people that action may be taken with more awareness of the situation. Although Jasmine understands the problems that citizens of Mexico may face, as she hears stories from immigrants of the beauty of the land and agriculture, she would like to experience such freedoms by living in Mexico one day.

                             Soley: I interviewed a coworker in the office of half Mexican and Venezuelan descent, living in LA county and currently in Irvine. She felt as though the corruption is deep into the systems of Mexico, most infamously seen in the form of gangs like the narcos, but also in big money corporations, and all throughout the governing body. Most simply put in layman terms, money is the push and pulling factor of Mexico, and authority or justice has a price. This left Soley feeling a bit hopeless, feeling that there were not simple enough solutions that she could comprehend for the problems were too complex and ingrained in the community that only a big revolution would be the only possible impactful change that could take place; all or nothing. Finally in the end she responded that although she wouldn’t ever live in Mexico, she would like to own a house to lease and rent, when she wasn’t in Mexico on vacation or for short periods of time.

                                                                           Work Cited

López, G. (2015, September 15). Hispanics of Mexican Origin in the United States, 2013. Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2015/09/15/hispanics-of-mexican-origin-in-the-united-states-2013/.

Zaragoza, A. (2018, March 26). As Big Beer Moves In, Activists in Mexicali Fight To Keep Their Water. Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/03/26/596448290/as-big-beer-moves-in-activists-in-mexicali-fight-to-keep-their-water