Cooperativa La Cruz Azul, S.C.L. is a

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

company in Mexico. It was founded in 1881 by a British businessman named Henry Gibbon. On 22 May 1927, the company's workers organized Club Deportivo Cruz Azul football club as a company team, which has gone on to become one of the most famous

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

teams in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, winning several national and international titles. The football team's association leads to the nickname of ''La Máquina Cementera'' or the cement locomotive. Along with

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

and

Grupo Bimbo Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. (also known simply as Bimbo) is a Mexican multinational food company with a presence in over 33 countries located in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. It has an annual sales volume of 15 billion dollars and is ...

, Cemento Cruz Azul, the cement brand of Cooperativa La Cruz Azul, is one of the most frequently seen emblems on Mexican football jerseys. With the creation of the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (, TLCAN; , ALÉNA), referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, ( ) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The ...

(NAFTA) in 1994, the company enjoyed the benefits of being able to transport across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It is now a well known cement company internationally. Cooperativa La Cruz Azul has faced stiff competition from Mexico's other leading cement producer,

Cemex CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., known as Cemex, is a Mexican multinational building materials company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. It manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than ...

, a company which has gone on to set foot on other countries, such as

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

(Cemex Puerto Rico), the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

In 1881, Englishman Henry Gibbon rented a portion of the old Hacienda City of Jasso, Hidalgo, and installed a

hydraulic lime Hydraulic lime (HL) is a general term for a variety of lime different from calcium oxide (quicklime), that sets by hydration and consists of calcium silicate and calcium aluminate, compounds that can harden in contact with water. This contras ...

factory. By 1883, fellow Englishman Joseph (or George) Watson, heavily invested into the factory and business. Despite the efficient mining of the rich deposits of limestone minerals from the Hidalgo region, the business practically did not develop due to lack of capital and was bankrupt by 1906.

Oaxaca attack

On 27 July 2021, a video surfaced where some 30 people are seen illegally entering the Cruz Azul Oaxaca plant and shooting the place. No injuries were reported in the incident.

References

Cement companies of Mexico Companies established in 1881 Manufacturing companies based in Mexico City Mexican brands Cooperatives in Mexico 1881 establishments in Mexico {{industry-company-stub