Since they supply the agave plants, they can be incredibly selective with when, how and what is harvested, and then distilled. Additional efforts include allocating up to 20 percent of net sales back into developing new initiatives, such as training practices for farmers and buying artisanally-produced mezcal from small producers.ĭue to the nature of the collaboration with local farmers, Mezcal Amarás is able to make single estate and origin mezcals. WWF was perfect because they already work with projects in Oaxaca,” de Rivera said. “ We needed help from experts to understand the environmental and economic impacts of the category in the agave and mezcal communities. The WWF partnership was essential to their efforts. Since their initiative began, they have planted over 150,000 agave seeds and created partnerships all over the region with small farms, investing the time and money to help them work more sustainably, and creating job opportunities in local communities. Water is scarce in many agave growing regions of Mexico, and these dry toilets turn human waste into fertilizer and urine into a reusable watering source, to help efforts to reach carbon neutral status. The Amaras team started working with the nonprofit 2018, to implement sustainable operations by introducing dry toilets to the farms. One of the ways they help empower landowners is by partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Suarez with Mere Hermenegildo, a mezcalero, as the two deal with biowaste and creating fertilizer. “ We want to empower the landowners to work their land in a sustainable, holistic and exponential way through the agave maintaining their traditions generating progressive economic, social and environmental benefits,” de Rivera shared. The Amaras team supplies the initial agave plants, grown in a nursery, as an investment in the vital organic farming process. Finally, if the farmer is willing to work on our model of planting, we close the deal.” “Then, with studies and certain criteria, confirm if certain lands comply with what we require. “First, t he area has to be close to the rest of the farmed lands.” de Rivera explained. The next step is planting, and de Rivera and Suarez have certain criteria that help them determine the right farms to work with. They wait until those plants are ready to reproduce, and then select the best seeds. Suarez and de Rivera work with their team to rescue and protect wild agave species, and then handpick the healthiest mother plants to propagate. Since the agave is so vitally important, de Rivera and Suarez recruited local farmers in Oaxaca, Guerrero and Durango to help facilitate the growing process and maintain biodiversity. That time may vary for the dozen other types of agave used to make mezcal. So, how did they implement this plan?Įspadin is the most common agave used for mezcal, and on average, one plant can take anywhere from eight to ten years to fully mature. “ If you give the community the tools and training in a model that will generate income with certainty, they will prosper and work to accomplish the best quality products in a conscious and progressive way, ” de Rivera told Observer. Suarez and de Rivera came up with a holistic model that they call “ siembra tu futuro, ” or “sow your future,” and this led to the creation of Mezcal Amarás, their organic, sustainably-minded mezcal brand. The two friends, who are both from Mexico City, had a mission in mind: they had a vision of helping support loc al communities by bringing them together, all while making some of the smoothest mezcal around. Santiago Suarez and Luis Niño de Rivera began making mezcal in 2010. Subscribe to Observer’s Lifestyle Newsletter Santiago Suarez and Luis Niño de Rivera.
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