March 1

CORONA, TELCEL, AND AURRERÁ TOP THE VALUABLE BRANDS LIST. (EL DIARIO DE COAHUILA ONLINE 0) (PULSO ONLINE (SAN LUIS POTOSÍ) 0)

According to the most recent 2020 edition of the BrandZ Top 30 ranking, the most valuable brands in Mexico are Corona, Telcel, and Bodega Aurrerá, which are followed by, in ranking order, Cerveza Modelo, Televisa, Bimbo, Liverpool, Telmex, Banorte, Cemex, Tecate, Inbursa, Banco Azteca, Sol, Sanborns, Oxxo, Marinela, Maseca, Aeroméxico, Soriana, Elektra, Victoria, Superama, Chedraui, León, Pacífico, Tía Rosa, Lala, Suburbia, and Montejo.

March 5

INVESTMENTS COME TO A SCREECHING HALT... BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE. (EL FINANCIERO PP-7-40-43) (EL FINANCIERO ONLINE 0)

Last year, the Mexican economy stopped dead in its tracks and the fact that the private sector made no investments can be singled out as one of the main reasons. However, in the midst of the pause in corporate spending, some companies seized this opportunity to expand their investments and perhaps outperform their competitors in the medium-term...According to data from the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV, acronym in Spanish), consumer companies, especially those focused on the lower segments of the population, made significant investments. Elektra, for example, increased its investment last year by 16.1%, while Gruma did so by 55.9%, and Cuervo by 151.2%.

March 6

AMONG BOSSES (EL FINANCIERO 17)

#UnDíaSinNosotras (ADayWithoutUs) was a difficult day. As March 9 draws near, not only have several companies shown their solidarity with the feminist movement but also their inability to maintain their production when part of their team is absent that day. This is the case of Audi and Volkswagen, while agencies such as the Mexican Federal Housing Financing Agency (INFONAVIT, acronym in Spanish), led by Carlos Martínez Velázquez, or companies such as Gruma and Walmart in Mexico and Central America, announced their respect for and support of the decision of their female employees to be absent on that day and reiterated that there will be no economic repercussions.

March 7

MASECA IS AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES IN MEXICO. (EL UNIVERSAL ONLINE 0) (EL SIGLO DE TORREÓN ONLINE (COAHUILA) 0)

The BrandZ 2020 report, issued by the firm Kantar Marketplace, has included Maseca, the flagship brand of the Mexican company Gruma, as one of the most valuable in Mexico. The value of Maseca is MXN 816 billion. The document lists the top 50 most valuable brands in Latin America and ranks the 30 most valuable brands in Mexico, whose combined value totals USD 49.9 billion. Maseca, which is number 18 on the list, is placed above brands such as Aeroméxico, Soriana, and Lala. The report also highlights that in 1949, the Maseca brand was launched with the installation of the first Gruma nixtamalized corn flour mill in the world, and has grown to become the leading brand in Mexico in its segment and a base ingredient for one of the most representative foods of Mexico, the tortilla. Beyond the borders of Mexico, Maseca has become an important player in the regions and countries of the world where the multinational company, Gruma, is present (America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania).

March 15

WHAT SHOULD I BUY AT THE SUPERMARKET DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC? (ENTREPRENEUR ONLINE 0)

In Mexico, we are still in Phase 1 of the pandemic protocol, which means that we do not need to close our borders or apply a generalized quarantine, but products such as aerosol disinfectants and antibacterial gel, have already become scarce. Alicia Ramírez, president of the National Nutrition Association of Mexico (AMENAC, acronym in Spanish), shared with Entrepreneur in Spanish the first recommendation to make smart purchases: stay calm. A couple of kilos of wheat flour or Maseca corn dough to make sopes and dishes that can get you out of a predicament. A couple of kilos of pasta. Regular beans, fava beans, lentils, and rice that can be used for many things because they are packed with vegetable protein (for example, you could make sopes with Maseca or tlacoyos with fava beans). The nutritionist highlights that “mixing regular beans with vitamin C sources (like tomatoes) will help our bodies absorb the iron in these vegetables.”

March 16

GRUPO MASECA IS SUSTAINABLE AND HAS MADE A SOCIAL COMMITMENT. (SDP NOTICIAS.COM ONLINE 0)

Few are the companies that, since their inception, have implemented sustainability and social commitment in the countries or regions where they operate as one of their strategic focuses. One of the most notable cases in Mexico is Gruma, a Mexican company led by Juan González Moreno and whose main line of business is the production of corn flour, tortillas, tortilla chips, and wraps, among others. Currently, the company has a presence in more than 110 countries around the world through its global brands: Maseca and Mission, along with numerous leading local brands such as Guerrero in the United States, and TortiRicas and Tosty in Costa Rica. The technological innovations implemented by Gruma at a global level allow it to generate significant savings in the consumption of drinking water and gas to cook the corn that it transforms into nixtamalized flour.

March 18

THE INIFAP PLANS TO CREATE AN ALLIANCE WITH PRIVATE COMPANIES. (REFORM 18)

The director of the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture, and Livestock Research (INIFAP, acronym in Spanish), Luis Ángel Rodríguez, said that he will seek alliances with private companies. “We need resources and we are going to invite private agri-food sector of Mexico, which benefits greatly from what the Institute does,” he said. While he acknowledged that this is a difficult challenge, he said he hopes to convince the federal cabinet of how relevant science is for field production, whether it is commercial agriculture or self-consumption. “I am thinking of important companies such as Bimbo, John Deer, Maseca, the beer industry, the sugarcane industry, the oil industry; all of them will be called so they can be involved,” he said.

CONMÉXICO CALL TO AVOID PANIC PURCHASES. (MURAL ONLINE (JALISCO) 0)(EL NORTE ONLINE (NUEVO LEÓN) 0)(REFORMA ONLINE 0)

The Mexican Consumer Products Industry Council (ConMéxico, acronym in Spanish) joined the call made to all Mexicans to avoid panic purchases of food and beverages and other supplies of the basic basket due to the coronavirus emergency. The Council, which groups companies such as Bimbo, Gruma, and La Costeña, as well as the personal care and home sectors, assured that the supply will be maintained in all purchasing channels, from supermarkets to corner stores...

March 25

EXPERTS POINT OUT THAT THE DOLLAR WILL BOOST GRUMA PROFITS. (EL UNIVERSAL ONLINE 0)

Due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, the Mexican company Grupo Maseca (Gruma), an international leader in the production of corn flour, tortillas, and wraps, will be one of the companies with the largest increase in profits amid the global health crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19. Gabriela Siller Pagaza, director of economic and financial analysis at Banco Base, explained that “in addition to being a company with high geographic diversification and with sales in more than 120 countries, Gruma is considered a defensive company because it is part of the food sector, which allows it to continue increasing its sales even in the middle of a highly volatile economic crisis.”

March 26

FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES IN MEXICO WILL WITHSTAND THE SETBACK CAUSED BY COVID-19. (ALTO NIVEL ONLINE 0)

What are food and beverage companies in Mexico doing today to protect themselves against COVID-19? Regarding Gruma, Monex considers the company to be one of the most “resilient” companies during this period of contingency and marked economic slowdown, mainly due to the scope of its products, and in particular, since it sells basic consumer products. The effect to be considered in the next results, he highlights, will be the exchange rate since, if 62.0% of the EBITDA of the issuer comes from the United States, the translation will be a growth factor. In like manner, its attention will be on the company’s eventual measures and that its distribution channels in Mexico and the US present few or no challenges.

March 30

CORPORATE MINUTE / BY ROBERTO AGUILAR. (EL SOL DE MÉXICO 20) (EL SOL DE MÉXICO ONLINE 0) (EL OCCIDENTAL ONLINE (JALISCO) 0)

The decision by Standard and Poor's Global Ratings to lower the rating of Mexico's sovereign debt automatically triggered the revision of the credit outlook of large Mexican companies, and for the moment most received confirmation of their global and/or national rating with a stable outlook...The list includes Gruma, led by Juan González Moreno; Becle, led by Juan Francisco Beckmann; Grupo México, led by Germán Larrea; Industrias Peñoles y Fresnillo, led by Alberto Bailleres; GMéxico Transportes, led by Fernando López Guerra Larrea; Arca Continental, led by Arturo Gutiérrez, and Ferromex…

CORN FLOUR AND CANNED FOODS, GREAT OPTIONS DURING PHASE 2 OF THE CORONAVIRUS: SPECIALIST. (MILENIO ONLINE 0)

During the quarantine period due to the health contingency caused by COVID-19 or the coronavirus, it is essential to everyone to have healthy eating habits, since being at home for so long causes families to neglect meal times or eat more than normal, which leads to being overweight, said Araceli Martínez Coronado, a nutritionist certified by the Mexican College of Nutritionists. In this context, she said that the corn tortilla is one of the best allies for children, older adults, and families, in general, to achieve the recommended daily intake of nutrients since, in addition to calcium, tortillas contain vitamins and minerals essential for healthy development, especially tortillas made with nixtamalized corn flour such as Maseca and Minsa, among others. She added that some tortillas, such as those made with Maseca, have added folic acid and iron, which helps decrease anemia rates among the child population in Mexico.

S&P FEATURES THE STRENGTHS OF COMPANIES FROM MONTERREY ELFINANCIERO

Within a situation with difficult global prospects, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) upheld its rating of firms such as Arca Continental (AC), Maseca, FEMSA, and KOF, for their debt in domestic and foreign currency. The agency also confirmed the ratings of companies that it believes will be able to generate strong cash flows, even during an economic recession, due to their financial strength as a result of their operations that could be resistant to a scenario of sovereign distress, given that some of these companies export their products or they have a presence in countries with higher ratings and manageable debt levels, as well as ample liquidity. Among these companies, the following stood out: Gruma, S.A.B. de C.V. (BBB / Stable / -; mxAA + / Stable / mxA-1 +) and the Industrias Peñoles, S.A.B. de C.V. (BBB / Stable / -; mxAAA / Stable / -), both from Monterey. Gruma benefits from the geographical footprint in countries with higher ratings such as the United States, its main market, which have solid liquidity positions with cash in dollars. Furthermore, Gruma's products are resistant to economic crises...