Archive record · Brewery
Grupo Modelo
Mexico City, Mexico
- Founded
- 1925
- Archive ID
- TB-3HXFZ0H0
- Last checked
- 2026-09-27
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Grupo ModeloThis brewery
- Anheuser-Busch InBevConglomerate
From the record
Summary
Brewer of Corona, Modelo and Victoria. Acquired outright by AB InBev in 2013 — though the US rights sit permanently with Constellation Brands, an unusual split that made Constellation a beer giant.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Home of Corona and Modelo. AB InBev owns it globally, but the US rights were sold off permanently — which is why Constellation prints money.
Ownership & corporate history
- Acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBevJune 2013
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. USD 20.1bn for the shares AB InBev did not already own; tender at USD 9.15 per share, about 95% held at completion; fully consolidated from 4 June 2013.
- Owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)Date unknown
Partly settledCurrent evidence supports this, but the record is not fully resolved.
What the sources say
Grupo Modelo states it has been part of AB InBev since 2013.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1925Founded
Grupo Modelo begins brewing in Mexico City.
- 2013Acquired
Acquired outright by AB InBev in 2013 — though the US rights sit permanently with Constellation Brands, an unusual split that made Constellation a beer giant.
The Beer Library
Beers
Corona Extra
Year-RoundPale Lager
Nobody can prove where the lime ritual came from. The best theory: a bartender's bet in 1981 that he could start a trend. If true, it is the most successful bar bet in history.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Negra Modelo
Year-RoundVienna Lager
The Vienna lager style all but died in Austria — it survives because Austrian brewers followed Emperor Maximilian to Mexico in the 1860s. The empire collapsed; the beer stayed.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Victoria
Year-RoundVienna Lager
Agustín Marendaz founded Victoria in 1865, two years before Canadian Confederation and decades before most other Mexican brands existed. Its signature yellow label carries Gambrinus, a mythical 'king of beer' figure borrowed from centuries-old European brewing folklore, presiding over the oldest beer still sold in the country.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Modelo Especial
Year-RoundUNKNOWN
Group-level brand only; production-site attribution unresolved. (Current brand)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pacífico
Year-RoundUNKNOWN
No branch/site attribution inferred. (Current brand)
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1925Founded
- 2013Acquired
Acquired outright by AB InBev in 2013 — though the US rights sit permanently with Constellation Brands, an unusual split that made Constellation a beer giant.
Today the chain tops out at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Grupo Modelo is controlled by Founder / family.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — SEC filing · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Grupo Modelo
- Who owns Grupo Modelo?
- Grupo Modelo is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Grupo Modelo is based in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Is Grupo Modelo still independent?
- No. Grupo Modelo is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is no longer independent.
- When was Grupo Modelo acquired?
- 2013. Acquired outright by AB InBev in 2013 — though the US rights sit permanently with Constellation Brands, an unusual split that made Constellation a beer giant.
- When was Grupo Modelo founded?
- Grupo Modelo was founded in 1925 in Mexico City, Mexico.
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