In a year that set multiple records for the tequila industry, the United States received over 72 percent of tequila exported from Mexico in 2020. At 254 million liters, the volume received was over 63 times more than the second-biggest importer, Germany, according to tequila.net.
To put it in perspective, Mexico produced a total of 374 million liters of tequila in 2020. Of this, 286 million liters were exported to 120 countries, according to The Spirits Business. Both of these numbers set new production and export records for the industry, and boosted the export value of tequila to roughly $2 billion.
Last year also saw a rise in Blue Weber agave production — the only variety that can be used for tequila. There are now 163 certified tequila-producing companies in the industry, with 8,000 agave producers spanning more than 500,000 acres.
The tequila boom may have been led in part by the “tequila gold rush,” a movement in which celebrities are rushing to launch their own spirits brands. Dwayne Johnson has been one of the most successful newcomers to celebrity spirits, with his Teremana Tequila absolutely rocking the industry.
