Alcoholic beverages are the backbone of the glass container market in Mexico, according to a study by the drinks industry. The arrival of PET & cans hit the glass industry in 1998, the last year that the country's glass industry considered soft drinks as a specific area. The repercussions began in 1999 when Vitro closed a soft drink packaging plant & registered 8.6% fall in sales because of the entry of PET. In 2000 the company recognized that soft drinks were no longer profitable & turned its efforts to containers for alcoholic beverages. The latest market research by the Wine & Liquor Industry Commission (CIVYL) notes that beer makes up 81% of the market, followed by tequila with 10.5% & that glass represents 20% of the cost of both products.
