Agave Spirit of MEXICO
Harvesting agaves can be sustainable under the proper conditions and practices .
The Tequila Cazadores distillery is an environmentally certified facility by local and international authorities , with “ clean energy status ” for best-in-class in environmental practices , Beirne says . Moreover , Cazadores has taken a number of steps and set pertinent goals with an eye towards sustainable solutions . These include :
Having their Blue Weber agave certified 100 % sustainably sourced by 2025 , including not damaging the soil or the aquifer system ; converting leftover agave fibers without sugar into biofuel , which powers the biomass boilers used during the extraction , cooking and distillation processes , cutting greenhouse emissions by 80 %; renewable energy now powers 99 % of their distillery ’ s electrical needs ; 100 % of the cardboard in their packaging is certified sustainable ; BIER ( Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable ) named their distillery a “ Top Performer ” for their water efficiency processes .
The fast-growing tequila brand Codigo 1530 is another company whose sustainability efforts include repurposing agave fiber into products like straws and cups . They utilize a local labor force of jimadors , distillers , hand-bottling and distillery management to further reduce their carbon footprint . Additionally , the brand intentionally plants agaves along their property lines that are dedicated to flower — rather than to harvest — providing a food source for the local bat population pollinators .
Purchased by Pernod Ricard in the fall of 2022 , Codigo 1530 was founded in 2016 by a team that includes country music star George Strait . Strait graduated college with a degree in agriculture before launching his successful singing career . ( He ’ s also emblematic of the recent trend of successful alcohol brands launched by celebrities .)
“ We quickly realized that after harvesting agave to distill Código 1530 Tequila , the remaining agave was only being used as mulch to top our soil for future plants or burned as a fuel source ,” Strait recalls . “ We are still using some of the excess agave fiber as mulch , and now have begun producing straws and cups in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner . This is a lifesaving program for sea life affected by plastic pollution .”
THE FUTURE OF TEQUILA With these measures in place , tequila brands remain optimistic about the future of the category .
“ There have been a lot of predictions that tequila is poised to become the most popular spirit in the U . S . and 2023 might be the year that we see it come to fruition ,” says Beirne of Cazadores . “ It ’ s a very exciting time for the tequila category , and we anticipate increased consumer interest in the premium and super premium segments . Cristalino tequila is one to watch as well as other aged expressions .”
“ In the RTD space , we anticipate more consumers will trade up from hard seltzers to RTD canned cocktails made with real spirits and high-quality tequila as bases ,” he adds . “ We ’ re already seeing some big hard seltzer brands reformulating or coming out with new spirits and tequila-based RTDs .”
Agreeing with this sunny outlook , thanks to sustainability , is Otegui , of Proximo Spirits .
“ Agave supply chain and pricing continue to be a challenge today for all producers ,” he says . “ However , together with the Tequila Regulatory Council , other industry members and growers , we are becoming more sophisticated in our planning and forecasting models to mitigate shortages .”
“ There are more agave plants on the ground than ever before ,” Otegui continues , “ and production capacity has been increasing consistently to catch up with demand .”
2023 Spirit of Mexico 15