Mexico City, February 27, 2025. In an effort to understand the preferences of consumers of Mexican distilled spirits such as mezcal and tequila researchers from the Universidad Panamericana Mexico City campuscampus, are using machine learning to decipher behavioral patterns and preferences.
The Project Predicting consumer characteristics of Mexican distilled beverages through machine learning tools seeks to identify the key factors that influence the perception and liking of these beverages, providing strategic information for the industry.
This is a study by a multidisciplinary team from the Universidad Panamericana Mexico City campus, formed by Dr. Claudia Ariadna Acero Ortega, Ph. Dr. Claudia Ariadna Acero Ortegaa research professor at the ESDAI School of Hospitality; Dr. Antonieta Martínez Velasco, a Dr. Antonieta Martínez Velascoresearch professor at the School of Engineering, and Dr. Sergio Erick García Barrón, research professor at the School of Hospitality ESDAI. Dr. Sergio Erick García Barrónpost-doctoral researcher at ESDAI.
Innovative approach to understanding the consumer
The project arose from the need to to study sensory and hedonic aspects (related to the level of liking) of Mexican distillates, which have not been exhaustively addressed in previous research.
Unlike most studies focused on the chemical composition, fermentation processes and authenticity of beverages, this research focuses on sensory analysis and consumer preferences, integrating variables such as product experience, age, income and geographic location.
"The Mexican distilled spirits industry has grown significantly in recent years, especially in the international market, so it is crucial to understand what factors influence the level of consumer liking. it is crucial to understand what factors influence the level of consumer liking."explains Dr. Claudia Acero.
Importance of the distillates industry in Mexico
The distillates and spirits industry in Mexico is an economic sector of great relevance.. According to data from the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA), in 2024 it reached a market value of 3.4 billion dollars.
This growth has been driven largely by the growing demand for artisanal products such as mezcal, tequila and raicilla, beverages that have gained popularity both domestically and abroad.
"These beverages not only have an economic value, but also a cultural value. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors influence their consumption and how consumers perceive their taste and quality,"said Dr. Sergio García.
Machine learning to analyze consumer behavior
To carry out this study, the researchers collected data through questionnaires, which were subjected to a cleaning and validation process. Subsequently, machine learning techniques were unsupervised machine learning unsupervised machine learning techniques were then applied to identify patterns and group consumers according to their similarities.
"Unsupervised learning allowed us to detect common characteristics among consumers, such as their experience with the product, age, income level, city of residence and level of education," explained Dr. Antonieta Martínez.explained Dr. Antonieta Martínez.
Who are the consumers of Mexican distillates?
Among the most relevant findings of the study, it was found that consumers of Mexican distilled beverages tend to be in the age range of 18 to 24 years old. In addition, the experience with the product, that is, the time they have been consuming these beverages, is a determining factor in their level of liking.
The study also considered consumption in four key cities: Mexico City, Durango, Guadalajara and Oaxaca. Mexico City stood out as the city with the highest consumption of mezcal, while Oaxaca, being the main producer of this beverage, showed significant consumption but with different patterns.
Implications for industry and practical applications
The results of this study have important implications for the beverage alcohol industry in Mexico. By better understanding consumers, companies will be able to companies will be able to design more effective marketing strategies tailored to the tastes and preferences of each segment.
"This study does not seek to generate market strategies directly, but to provide valuable information that will serve as a basis for companies to develop their own strategies," said Dr. Acero Ortega.said Dr. Acero Ortega.
UP: a space for multidisciplinary research
This research is an example of Universidad Panamericana 's commitment to innovation and multidisciplinary approach, integrating experts in microbiology, consumer sciences, sensory evaluation and machine learning.
"Multidisciplinary research does not dilute individual approaches, but rather complements them, enriching the results of the research process," said Dr. Martínez Velasco.said Dr. Martínez Velasco.
In addition, the team has requested the support of the Universidad Panamericana for the presentation of the results at the VI Congress of the Spanish Association of Sensory Analysis Professionals (AEPAS). Spanish Association of Sensory Analysis Professionals (AEPAS), to be held in June this year in Lugo, Spain.to be held in June of this year in Lugo, Spain. This support will be provided once the acceptance of the work by the organizing committee of the congress is confirmed.
"We invite all members of our community to encourage research work involving people from different areas of knowledge.. This not only enriches the projects, but also opens up new opportunities to solve complex problems."concluded the researchers.
This project not only contributes to the understanding of Mexican distilled spirits consumer behavior, but also positions Universidad Panamericana as a leading institution in applied and multidisciplinary research.
Learn more about what Universidad Panamericana is doing in Research at: https://www.up.edu.mx/investigacion-noticias/
