Mexican Tequila Imports Focus Of U.S. Trade

Mexican tequila will continue to be imported in bulk, according to an announcement Wednesday by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman.

At the beginning of trade negotiations, Mexico wanted all tequila to be bottled in Mexico, which would have prevented American companies from bottling tequila and labeling it with their brands.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. is the world's largest importer of Mexican tequila, which amounts to about 50 percent of Mexican tequila production. Approximately 73 percent of these imports were in bulk form in 2004, a year that saw the U.S. import over $400 million in Mexican tequila.