Mexican Cajeta: A success in America

‘ Cajeta ’ ( milk candy ), one of the oldest Mexican desserts , reached exhibitors from 15 countries , generating two million 97 thousand dollars in 2017 , informed the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) .

Originally from the city of Celaya , Guanajuato , ‘cajeta’ is a traditional candy made of goat's milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Its sweet and exotic flavor is sure to appeal to local and foreign palates alike.

Its name comes from the so-called "cajete," a cylinder made of tejamanil wood sheet that was used to pack the milk candy.

According to the SIAP, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) , Mexican ‘cajeta’ was shipped to 15 countries last year.

In 2017, exports reached a volume of 775 tons , 83 tons less than the previous year, which left earnings of over two million 151 thousand dollars .

Of the total, 735 tons of ‘cajeta’ were sent to the United States , a country that has currently sought to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) , with a total value of one million 948 thousand 219 dollars .

Some of the main ‘cajeta’ importers were Guatemala, Nicaragua, Germany, Cuba, Costa Rica, and El Salvador .

SIAP showed that Canada , another member of the free trade agreement, was the tenth importer of ‘cajeta,’ as well as other types of typical Mexican candy.

The information service pointed out that, in the foreign market, an average of 2.7 dollars was paid for each kilogram of Mexican ‘cajeta.’

On the other hand, in 2017, the Mexican goat cattle’s milk production reached 162.3 million liters , with Guanajuato, Coahuila, Durango, and Jalisco as the states that lead the national milking.

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