Associate Clients

Article 4.- Application to Become an Associate Client. Any person who wishes to become a CRT Associate shall submit a written application, addressed to the Director General indicating the following:

a) Full name, or corporate name;

b) Principal Address and, as the case may be, each and every one of its offices, plants and establishments where Agave is grown or Tequila is produced, aged or bottled;

c) Description of activities in order to establish the sector to which such applicant shall belong;

d) Statement accepting to comply with the Bylaws and Internal Regulations and, specifically, to pay, on a timely basis, the fees established annually by the associates’ general assembly;

e) If the applicant is a Tequila producer or bottler, the information pertaining to its authorization granted by the Mexican Intellectual Property Institute (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial; IMPI) to use the Designation of Origin, and the permit by the General Standards Directorate (Dirección General de Normas; DGN) to produce and bottle Tequila;

f) Statement of agreement to provide any other information reasonably requested by CRT. 

Article 5.- Documents which shall accompany the Application. The application referred to in the preceding article must be accompanied by a copy of the applicant’s Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes) and its last Income Tax payment declaration and its registration before the corresponding Business Chamber, in order to be registered in one of the Sections referred to in Article Six of the Bylaws. In the event that such documents are lacking, the CRT’s Director General may instruct the applicant to submit other information or method of evidence that, in its opinion, shall allow the applicant’s proper registration.

Likewise, the application must be accompanied by payment of the annual fee established by the associates’ general assembly for the tax period during which the application is submitted.

Article 6.- Associate Application Forms. The CRT may, as determined by the Director General, provide an application form to the applicants and, in such case, only the registration of those Associates who have submitted such form shall be valid.

Article 7.- Procedure. The CRT shall register all persons who request to participate as Associates and who comply with the requirements set forth in the preceding Articles. The only case in which an applicant’s registration can be denied is if the CRT is privy to information that proves the applicant has filed for bankruptcy protection or is subject to a criminal or fiscal action from which it may follow that such applicant is unable to fulfill its obligations as an Associate.

Article 8.- Additional Information. All CRT Associates, by virtue of their status as such, in addition to all information to be provided under the Bylaws and contained in the corresponding Manuals and Procedures, shall provide the following information to CRT:

A) Trademarks, whether registered or not, under which it markets Tequila, whether such trademarks belong to it or not or belong to one or more of its distributors or clients;

b) Copy of all official deeds formalized by IMPI of the bulk, domestic and for-export Tequila Sales Agreements;

c) Average and unit costs, as well as production volume, both for purchase of Agave, production, ageing and bottling processes, and for the sale of Agave or Tequila, as the case may be;

d) Description of the main issues or problems encountered during the performance of its activities, and;

e) Any change to the information previously provided to the CRT.

Article 9.- Associates’ Rights. In addition to the rights granted to the Associates in the Bylaws, all Associates, by virtue of their status as such, shall have the following privileges:

a) Receive any CRT magazine or other publications by CRT at no cost;

b) Enjoy the services provided by CRT, at preferential tariffs or fees, under the following criteria:

I.- Services shall be provided to the Associates at fees or tariffs which are lower than those charged to CRT’s Non-Associate Clients.

II.- Such fees and tariffs shall be fixed annually, as approved by the associates’ general assembly.

c) Other tariffs and fees as approved by the associates’ general assembly.

Article 10.- Confidentiality. CRT shall keep all the information it receives from its associates as confidential, in a proper and safe manner, ensuring that no unauthorized person shall have access to such information, which shall be kept in the strictest confidentiality and may only be used for its analysis with respect to the performance of CRT’s Certification and Inspection tasks and to publish statistics and other general information on Tequila, and as requested by the corresponding authorities.

Article 11.- Associates’ Obligations. In addition to the obligations established in these Internal Regulations and the Bylaws, the associates, by virtue of their status as such and as applicable, shall fulfill the following additional obligations:

a) Include, in their activities, quality assurance systems that are not less demanding than those established in CC series Mexican Standards;

b) Notify CRT promptly with regard to any change in the information provided to CRT;

c) Purchase  Agave only from persons whose crops and plantations possess a valid CRT registration;

d) Provide the information contained in the Forms to CRT;

e) Keep up-to-date internal records on Agave and Tequila purchasing and sales. Said records shall contain precise information related to price, volume, supplier, buyer and final destination of any sale.

f) Support the activities of CRT and its Contributors and, to such end, allow, accept and facilitate inspection, audits, tests and certifications undertaken by CRT Employees. Said support includes allowing access to the facilities, books, records and other information requested by the CRT employees in the performance of their activities;

g) Make any irregularity detected in the performance of CRT activities as undertaken by any CRT Employee known to CRT;

h) Use the standing and/or ageing warehouses only for Tequila and no other product;

i) Bottle the 100% Agave Tequila only at bottling plants belonging to the Tequila producer located within the Designation of Origin Zone.