Workers at Mexico's Torrent factory where Te-Amo cigars are produced sort and prepare tobacco leaves. © William B. Kaliher, 2010

Alberto Turrent and Te-Amo: Six generations of Mexican cigars

Mexico’s famous Te-Amo cigar comes from Sihuapan, near Catemaco, Veracruz. The producer — Turrent, Nueva Matacapan Tabacos, S.A. de C.V. — takes its name from the owner, Alberto Turrent, the fifth generation of the cigar manufacturing family. I’m a cigar aficionado myself, and I had the pleasure of talking with Alberto Turrent at length. During […]

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Documents needed to ship your product to Mexico

Importers will use a customs broker (a private-sector provider of services) of choice to obtain release of the merchandise. The customs agent will provide to importers all necessary information relating to applicable duties and non-tariff regulations. The customs entry will be accompanied by: the commercial invoice, when the customs value of the merchandise is determined […]

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Let’s get physical: Nonverbal language in the Mexican business world

Doing Business in Mexico A key tool for understanding cultures is examining how people communicate with one another. The kind of topics people bring up in conversations often reflects the themes considered important by their culture. Likewise, the manner in which people speak often reflects cultural values. For example, people from the mainstream United States […]

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Comparing Management Differences – Cultural Myths

“What works here ought to work in Mexico.” Not so. You cannot transplant Canadian or US techniques, methods and management styles without adapting them and expect them to work successfully. “What is new and modern is the most effective.” What is new and effective in one environment, will not automatically work in a different culture […]

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Comparing management differences in Mexico with Canada and the US

Doing business in Mexico is very different than in Canada and the US. The values, social practices, managerial methods, and belief systems of the Mexican worker and Mexican manager are different. They are so different in certain areas that the Canadian/US manager or business person who does not take the time to understand these differences […]

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Doing business in Mexico: general legal, business & entry issues

NOTE: This article is dated but much of the general information still applies. Details should be confirmed with your nearest Mexican consulate or trade mission. Legal Framework Mexico has embarked on thee modernisation of its legal and judicial systems, and has introduced a substantial deregulation and improvement in the enforcement of its laws. Mexico’s legal […]

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Business entry into Mexico

A business visitor is a person who is involved in any of the following: research and design – market research business transactions for manufacturing and production (management & personnel) sales and purchasing for an enterprise located in the U.S. or Canada (other than direct sales) distribution and after sales services (general services) A professional is a person […]

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Common questions asked Mexican customs

NAFTA FACTS document 8401 provides detail on the documents needed to ship goods to Mexico. Mexico is placing increasing importance on compliance with its labelling laws. Your labelling requirements depend on the type of product you are shipping to Mexico. A summary of Mexican labelling requirements is in NAFTA FACTS document 1602. A “NOM” is […]

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A clear day in Mexico City © Anthony Wright, 2011

In Mexico, legal software must be part of corporate export strategies to the United States

The US is an important market for the Mexican manufacturer. However, when planning to export goods, cultural differences cam come into play, and it is crucial to understand them. A fish export company in Massachusetts was fined US $10,000 for infringing laws on software copyright protection, a matter of particular interest to Mexican companies that […]

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