USMEF continues touting variety meats through cantinas in Mexico 

The Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council invest checkoff funds in the U.S. Meat Export Federation because corn and soybeans are a primary feed source for U.S. livestock. By promoting the export of U.S. pork, cattle and lamb, demand for soybeans and corn also increase. 

Variety meat exports are critical for U.S. pork and beef producers as they enhance carcass value, and Mexico is a leading destination for these products. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) staff in Mexico are promoting pork and beef variety meat items in bars and casual restaurants as an affordable appetizer and snack option that will appeal to their customers. 

The campaign has been tagged Cantina Vibes and is made possible through funding support from USDA, the National Pork Board and the Beef Checkoff Program. 

Consumers in the central part of Mexico are well familiar with variety meats, according to USMEF-Mexico Trade Manager Rigoberto Treviño, so they began in this region, with tacos, sopes and tostadas made with pork jowl, snouts, ears and brains as well as beef intestine, liver and sweetbread. 

“It is very affordable for those cantinas and their customers,” Treviño explained. “If you want to go to a cantina, maybe you can have a free appetizer to go with your drinks, because the intestines, pork stomach or pork snout are very affordable. Or maybe you can have a pork jowl taco or a pork jowl sope with guacamole, for about a dollar. So, it’s very affordable, and it’s very important for those kinds of restaurants and casual dining establishment to drive more customer traffic.” 

Because of the success of Cantina Vibes in Central Mexico, the promotion was expanded north to regions where consumers are less familiar with variety meat dishes. The promotion was attractive to bars, casual restaurants and consumers alike because it brought the familiar taste and quality of U.S. beef and pork to casual, convenient appetizers and dishes at an affordable price point. 

Mexico is the leading volume destination for U.S. beef variety meat exports, totaling 124,000 metric tons last year, worth $338 million. It is second only to China for pork variety meat exports, with shipments in 2024 topping 160,000 metric tons, at a value of $288 million. 

The push to grow consumption of variety meats in Mexico comes at a key time for U.S. producers. China, a key buyer of U.S. variety meats has reduced pork purchases this year amid tariff tensions between the two countries and has essentially blocked all beef purchases from the United States by refusing to renew certifications for U.S. beef processing and cold storage facilities. USMEF staff members around the globe have been working to find and develop new destinations for U.S. red meat products that would typically be headed to China.