Beer consumption is reduced due to a decrease in family spending: production fell by 5.1%

The beer industry experienced a drop of 5.1% in its production between January and September 2023, since demand in its main channels, such as homes and gastronomic businesses, has been substantially reduced, according to the National Industry Society (SNI).

The sector that produces beverages and malt products is made up of 338 formal companies: 97% are microenterprises, 1.2% small companies, 0.3% medium-sized and 1.5% large companies.

Along these lines, the importance of the consumption of malted beverages in economic and social matters is highlighted, since, consumed in moderation, they are part of countless meetings and events. Along the same lines, beer represents 30% of the income of winery families in the national territory. Additionally, he reported that between craft and industrial beer, around 14 million hectoliters are produced, of which more than 100 companies work to supply nearly 200,000 points of sale and distribution in Peru.

The importance of this industry not only lies in its contribution to the manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in which the production of beverages and malt products contributed 5% in 2021, but it also generates 5,000 jobs. direct and around 20,000 indirect jobs, which include producers, distributors, among other participants in production and marketing.

Likewise, in 2022, malt beer exports increased by 38.4% compared to the previous year and reached US$16.5 million. Among the main destinations of this product are the Chilean market (73.7%) and the United States (13.7%). However, the union pointed out that one of the main shortcomings of the industry are taxes because in the Peruvian market they are paid the highest in the region, which promotes informality.