Meexa, the UK’s first “craft Michelada in a can” has launched amid growing interest in Mexican food and drink in the UK.
Described as “a premium, beer-based Mexican serve blending crisp lager with tomato, chilli, lime and house spices”, Meexa is the brainchild of creative director and screenwriter Tom Hodgson and tech entrepreneur Christian Adams.
“Meexa is our love letter to the Michelada,” Hodgson told The Grocer. “Like a lot of people, we discovered Micheladas travelling in Mexico and the United States. We loved them so much that, back home, we couldn’t understand why nobody was making a proper craft version. So we did it ourselves.”
Enlisting the help of bartender and former Patrón tequila brand ambassador Dan Redman, the trio created a Bavarian-style lager, blended with Portuguese tomatoes, guajillo chillies from Mexico, and lime zest from Central America. It promises notes of “bright tomato”, with “a gentle chilli warmth, and a crisp, dry lager finish”.
Meexa has launched on Amazon and specialist retail, with the brand targeting a wider rollout across grocery in the coming months (rsp: £14.40/4x330ml).
“We are currently stocked by Mexgrocer, Amazon and independent bars and restaurants in the London area,” said Hodgson. “We see Meexa primarily as an off-trade product – perfect for BBQs, brunch, picnics, park hangs, festivals – and would love to be in supermarkets when the time is right.”
Meanwhile, as Meexa looks to build awareness, it has penned a deal to sponsor this year’s London Oyster Championships at Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill next month.
“What’s struck us most is how naturally people pair them with seafood,” Hodgson said. “In Mexico, Micheladas and oysters have gone hand in hand for decades – here, very few have experienced it. That’s why this year we’re sponsoring the London Oyster Championships at Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill.
“We’ve also recently won a listing at Richard Haward’s Oysters at Borough Market – another sign the pairing is finding an audience here.”
Bouyed by the growth of Mexico as a holiday destination – the country recorded a 6% increase in international tourists in 2025, according to its minister of tourism, Josefina Rodríguez – Mexican food and drink is surging in popularity in the UK.
Sales of tequila-based cocktails, for example, have grown by almost 200% in the past year, driven by demand for Margaritas [NIQ 52 w/e 11 July 2026].
“Given the UK’s ever-growing enthusiasm for Mexican food and drink culture, the growth of the flavoured beer category and the legions of Bloody Mary fans in the UK, it feels like the Michelada’s time is coming,” Hodgson added.
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