December 2

Exported Products Uphold Holiday Traditions in Migrant Communities
(https://lahora.gt/exportacion-de-productos-de-la-temporada-mantiene-vivas-las-tradiciones-entre-migrantes/)
Every year, thousands of national products arrive at Guatemalan households abroad, primarily in the United States, where most migrants live. As Christmas approaches, items used for end-of-year festivities stand out in the list of exports, such as the fruit varieties used to make holiday punch, according to the Guatemala Exporters Association. It is no surprise that while other cultures prepare baked dishes for Christmas, Guatemalan migrant communities would rather buy corn husks for tamales, tomatoes, Maseca, pork lard, Guatemalan flavorings, and the fruit for the punch bowl that is a must

December 3

THE RANKING
(Expansión pgs. 84-98)
The Corporate Integrity 500 study conducts a review of public documents provided on corporate websites. The study’s third edition included a review conducted in two phases, the first of which was carried out between January and March 2019, reviewing companies listed in the June 2018 Expansión index. The second phase in May 2019, only included companies listed on the 2019 Expansión index. The ranking of Corporate Integrity 500 includes: Gruma increases raises its score to 78.4.

December 10

THIS MOUTH IS MINE / By Juan M. de Anda
(24 Horas pg. 12) (24 Horas Online)
Gruma’s excellent reputation. According to RepTrak 2019, the report prepared by the well-renowned Reputation Institute, Mexican company Gruma led by Juan González Moreno, enjoys one of the best corporate reputations worldwide. In addition to the Gruma’s presence in 112 countries and millions of dollars in sales, the company plays an active role in social causes, supporting vulnerable communities after natural disasters through its foundation.

December 12

ABOUT BOSSES
(El Financiero pg. 19)
Spanish companies eyeing Mexico. More than 150 Mexican companies showed interest in investing in Spain, mainly in the Castilla-La Mancha region, said Patricia Franco, commercial advisor on economic, business, and employment matters to the autonomous government. Franco noted Gruma’s presence in Spain. The company announced a EUR 40 million investment to expand its plant in Toledo that produces goods for the European and North African markets. In 2018, Mexican companies invested EUR 625.6 million in Spain, 21.5% up from 2017, according to data published by the Spanish Office of Exports and Investments.

December 13

MEXICO SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN COMMERCIAL TIES WITH CHINA
(Vértigo Político Online)
Secretary of the Economy Graciela Márquez Colín confirmed that Mexico is interested in continuing to strengthen commercial ties with China, whose manufacturing sector is increasingly integrated into Mexico’s industrial supply chain. During the seventh round of meetings of the Mexico-China High Level Business Group, Secretary Márquez Colín said the interest surrounding the meeting is further proof of the Mexican government’s desire to relaunch the economic relationship with China. The Mexico and China business chapters were led by Grupo Maseca and by the Bank of China, respectively.

December 16

Ten Years in Australia
(El Norte pg. 14 with photo by Juan González Moreno) (El Sol De México pg. 22 with photo by Juan González Moreno) (El Heraldo de México pg. 35) (Reforma pg. 4)(Milenio Diario pg. 23)(La Jornada pg. 21) (Excélsior pg. 4) (El Economista pg. 29) (La Razón pg. 20) (24 Horas pg. 15) (Contraréplica pg. 19)
Ten years after opening the Gruma plant in Melbourne, Australia the company now has the capacity to produce more than 50,000 tons of food per year to satisfy consumer demand in more than 30 countries in Oceania. Gruma’s president Juan González Moreno attended the anniversary celebration.

PUSH AND PULL / By J. Jesús Rangel M.
(Milenio Diario pg. 24)
The Boardroom. Juan González Moreno, President and CEO of Gruma, celebrated 10 years of the company’s plant in Australia, which now supplies more than 30 countries in the region.

IN ONE DECADE, GRUMA’S SALES INCREASE BY 140% IN AUSTRALIA (Milenio TV– YouTube)

December 17

COIN TOSS / By Jeanette Leyva Reus
(El Financiero pg. 11)
Another Mexican company reaping success worldwide is Gruma. The company supplies clients and consumers in more than 30 countries in Oceania, including Australia, where it celebrated the 10^th anniversary of the Gruma plant in Melbourne last week. That plant now has the capacity to produce more than 50,000 tons of food annually to satisfy consumer demand in that part of the world. Juan González Moreno, President and CEO of the company’s global operations, couldn’t be more proud of the company’s cross-border success and for being a leader in Mexico’s food industry. The company expects more positive results for 2020. For now, the coin has been tossed.

December 20

GRUMA OBTAINS A LOAN
(El Norte pg. 1) (Reforma pg. 15) (Mural pg. 10)(Milenio Diario pg. 25) (Excélsior pg. 2) (24 Horas pg. 18) (El Heraldo de México pg. 30)Gruma reported that it secured a USD 250 million loan that it will use to pay off short-term liabilities held in Mexican pesos. According to a press release, the six-year loan was granted by the Bank of Novia Scotia.

Companies On a Buying Spree: The Biggest Acquisitions of the Decade
(Expansion.mx)
The end of the decade nears, but not without leaving its mark within certain industries and upper echelons of businesses that reconfigured themselves following acquisitions carried out by Mexico’s large companies over the last ten years. Some companies, like Grupo Bimbo, Lala, and Gruma, made strategic acquisitions almost every year. Others, such as Liverpool, with their purchase of Suburbia, changed the course of their corporate strategy with just one acquisition.

December 27

BRIGHT FORECAST FOR GRUMA in 2020
(Milenio Online)
Gruma, led by Juan González Moreno, stood out this year for holding one of the best-performing stocks on the Mexican Stock Exchange, and also for the company’s ongoing support of domestic farmers and its participation in initiatives for the preservation and production of native corn in Mexico. The company will continue to participate in initiatives with the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, such as the Comprehensive White Corn Management Program in Northern Tamaulipas. The main purpose of that program is to improve the food safety and sanitary conditions of white corn harvested in Tamaulipas for the benefit of human health, while also reducing corn imports in the medium term and purchasing close to 400,000 tons from producers in that state to replace current imports from the United States.

CORPORATE MINUTE / By Roberto Aguilar
(El Sol De México pg. 20)(El Sol De México Online)
New Horizons. Speaking of this past decade, a totally different story is that of Gruma, led by Juan González Moreno, which celebrated 10 years operating its plant in Melbourne, Australia, with a current production capacity of 50,000 tons of food per year, with its modernized plant that has strengthened production every year with the introduction of robotic systems to satisfy consumer demand throughout the 30-plus countries in Oceania. In that time span, sales from that business unit went from USD 50 million to USD 120 million and continues on the up. In 2018, Mission Foods was recognized as Producer Of The Year in the retail bakery category across the entire Australian food industry. In 2019, Gruma also celebrated 70 years of operating as a global company with a presence in 110 countries on four continents.

December 31

TOP NEWS IN 2019 FROM THE FOOD INDUSTRY / GRUMA CONSOLIDATES ITS POSITION IN THE US AND GLOBAL MARKETS
(Abasto Online)
The United States has become the principal market for the corn flour, tortillas, and wraps made by Gruma, the global Mexican food company. The United States represented 55% of the company’s net sales this past year.