“We’re basically trying to protect our segment of the market,” said Lampe, whose company posted sales of more than $20 million last year. “It is an importer’s dream to have a beer take off like Corona,” said Fred Lampe, president of Moctezuma. The brew is named after a colorful cantina in Baja California that is a popular watering hole with American tourists. In an attempt to capture some of Corona’s mystique, and latch on to a shade of its market share, six months ago Moctezuma Imports of Irvine introduced Hussong’s. “Heineken is now perceived as the beer that Dad drinks and Corona is the beer that his son drinks,” Forth said. Behind Heineken, the other top sellers are, in order, Molson, Beck’s and Moosehead.īut the sudden jostling between Corona and other imports has caused a generation gap in the beer market, said Kevin Forth, president of Straub Distributing Co. Corona now ranks as the fifth, according to Barton Beers’ Mazzoni. With the success of Corona in key Southern California markets, the company hopes that the beer eventually will challenge Heineken as the nation’s top-selling import. The remaining 50% is divided among an estimated 200 imports. Corona ranks as the biggest-selling import in Orange County-with about 30% of the area’s total import market. Imports are on the rise and now account for nearly 10% of beer sales in California. But on the West Coast-the nation’s trend center-the numbers are vastly different. And nationally, Corona accounts for about 5% of that import market, compared to Heineken’s estimated 35%. Still, imports accounted for only 4.3% of the nation’s beer sales last year, according to industry estimates. Last year, it sold 11.3 million gallons in the United States, compared to a paltry 200,000 gallons in 1982. Corona’s sales have rocketed 5,550% during its four-year presence in the United States. It is already the top-selling imported beer in Southern California and could be the top seller in the state within the next year. premiere in Orange County four years ago, Corona has given the rest of the importers fits. “Our researchers found that key users of premium imports were no longer just found in New York or Chicago but parts of California (such as) the San Francisco Bay Area and Orange County,” said William Knauer, president of Pafco Imports and its distribution arm, Impact Wines & Spirits Inc.īut so far, no one can catch Corona. In the past, most European importers concentrated on the East Coast. An ad campaign for the Belgian brew being imported by Pafco Imports of Newport Beach is expected to get off the ground next month.īecause Orange County has many free-spending young professionals, beer makers say it has emerged as one of the nation’s top spots not only to sell but also to introduce imports. One Belgian brewer, Stella Artois, has snubbed the East Coast and taken the unusual move of introducing its beer in Orange County.

Some are trying to copy its style, while others have given up altogether and tried to refocus their beers toward new markets.Įven the Europeans are reacting to the success of Mexican imported beers in California by trying to nudge into the West Coast market. But consumers are so enthralled with the light-colored beer in the see-through bottle that it is causing Southland importers and distributors to rethink their entire marketing programs. Industry executives and analysts are baffled by the beer’s unprecedented rise. A six pack of Corona sells there for $5.30, Heineken for$5.29 Dos Equis for $4.56 and Budweiser for $3.18. store in Corona Del Mar, but one of the store’s best sellers. It is among the most expensive brands at Ornelas Beverage Co. Retail sales of Corona in the United States nearly tripled last year to $200 million from $70 million in 1984, according to Mike Mazzoni, executive vice president of Barton Beers.Ĭorona is meeting this success despite being one of the most costly beers on the market. Three years ago, Quality shipped 15,000 cases of Corona.

Corona beer origin