Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. DE C.V. (Mexico)

Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. is currently the largest beverage company in Latin America and the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the world. It has operations not only in Mexico, but also all of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and small parts of Brazil and Argentina. FEMSA began operations in 1890 with the founding of the Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc, with headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico. FEMSA operates through two business units: Coca-Cola Femsa, a bottling company of the products from The Coca-Cola Company brand, and Femsa Comercio which operates the convenience store chain OXXO, supported by strategic inputs made by packaging and logistics companies. In 1958 FEMSA got its first franchise from The Coca-Cola Company and established Coca-Cola FEMSA. In 1985 It purchased Cerveceria Moctezuma and in 1993 the franchise of Coca-Cola in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2003 Coca-Cola FEMSA entered other markets in Central and South America by acquiring local companies. In 2010, the company has agreed to exchange its brewing division, Cuaucthemoc-Moctezuma for 20% of the shares of Heineken, whose holder was CB Equity.