Why has Patrón XO Cafe been discontinued? When production of tequila-based coffee liqueur is to stop and why

Since its launch in 1992, tequila brand Patrón’s XO Cafe coffee liqueur drink has been a staple of many drinks cabinets.

But the tequila-based drink is set to imminently disappear from shelves.

This is because its owner, the drinks giant Bacardi, has decided to call time on the coffee liqueur’s production.

So why exactly has XO Cafe been discontinued? Here’s what you need to know.

What is Patrón XO Cafe?

XO Cafe is a Mexican alcoholic drink which combines premium tequila brand Patrón’s Silver Tequila with Arabica coffee essence.

Since 2018, Patrón has been owned by global drinks giant Bacardi.

It is said to offer an aroma of fresh coffee, chocolate and aroma, with its taste notes promising fresh roasted coffee with notes of chocolate and light tequila.

The product typically comes in a distinctive 70cl bottle, has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 35% and typically costs around £30.

Patrón said the drink is “excellent for sipping, in cocktails or as a dessert ingredient”.

Why is Patrón XO Cafe being discontinued?

The announcement came out of an interview between food and drink trade magazine The Grocer and Patrón’s president and chief operating officer Mauricio Vergara.

Vergara told the publication the Patrón brand wanted to focus “on growing and protecting production and supply of our core super and ultra-premium tequilas”.

These ranges include: Patrón Silver, Gran Patrón Platinum and Patrón Añejo, which he said needed to be Patrón’s “top priority”.

XO Cafe’s popularity and profitability was said by The Grocer to be diminishing, with sales hitting a low of just £550k in 2020.

Tequila ‘on the rise’

Vergara explained to The Grocer that tequila’s recent success had provided a further financial incentive to pour more investment into Patrón’s core tequila brands.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in the tequila business – we are thrilled to see consumer demand for tequila continuing to explode around the world,” he said.

“Tequila is seeing rapid growth and incredible momentum – not just in the United States, but it is the second-fastest-growing category in value across the globe.”

Indeed, research by drinks analytics group IWSR, which was shared with the Financial Times, showed volume sales of premium tequilas have grown markedly since 2019.

It said this had happened because wealthier consumers had put money that would have been used for holidays or leisure activities towards home comforts during the various national lockdowns.

Tequila has also been aided by endorsements from celebrities over the past decade.

George Clooney, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Kendall Jenner are just a few of the famous faces to have launched tequila brands in recent years.

We want to hear from you: let us know what you think about this story and be part of the debate in our comments section below

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.