| Cemento Cruz Azul | |
| Type: | Cooperative |
| Foundation: | (in Jasso, Hidalgo) |
| Founder: | Henry Gibbon |
| Area Served: | worldwide |
| Products: | Cement Ready-mix concrete Construction aggregates |
| Homepage: | CruzAzul.com.mx |
Cemento Cruz Azul is a cement company in Mexico. It was founded in 1881 by a British businessman named Henry Gibbon.[1]
On 22 May 1927, the company's workers organized the Club Deportivo Cruz Azul football club as a company team, which has gone on to become one of the most famous association football teams in Mexico, winning several national and international titles.[2] The soccer team's association leads to the nickname of La Máquina Cementera or the cement locomotive. Along with Coca-Cola and Bimbo bread, Cemento Cruz Azul are among the most frequent emblems on Mexican football jerseys.
With the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, the company enjoyed the benefits of being able to transport across North America. It is now a well known cement company internationally.
Cemento Cruz Azul has faced stiff competition from Mexico's other leading cement producer, Cemex, a company which has gone on to set foot on other countries, such as Puerto Rico (Cemex Puerto Rico),[3] the United States and the United Kingdom.
In 1881, Englishman Henry Gibbon rented a portion of the old Hacienda City of Jasso, Hidalgo, and installed a hydraulic lime factory. By 1883, fellow Englishman Joseph (or George) Watson, heavily invested into the factory and business. [4] [5] 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.[6]
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.[7]