Of 72 tequila distilleries inspected in the last six months, 65 failed to follow state and federal environmental norms in treating water contaminated by the process and the unused end product of the cooked agave piñas.
Read more: Patron Tequila Distillery Closed for Contamination of Watersheds
Corn has given ethanol a bad name and scientists are searching far and wide for alternative feedstock. Agave has been getting attention lately and looks very promising, although tequila connoisseurs may not be cheering. Here’s why agave is so much appealing:
Read more: Drink it or Drive it - The Promise of Agave for Ethanol
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. (Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)), a global leader in premium spirits, and Hornitos(TM) Tequila, a member of the Sauza(R) family, announced today new technology partnerships to evolve with consumers' ever changing needs. Hornitos has found new ways to connect with consumers on-premise and in their daily lives through mobile and product technologies.
Inspired by Tequila’s tourism and publicity campaigns, the Jalisco town of Amatitan is fighting for its own share of the tequila legend.
The municipality of Amatitan is claiming to be the home of Jalisco’s oldest “tequila” factory (the drink was known as vino mezcal in the 16th century). Amatitan has petitioned to declare May 27 as the World Day of Tequila, to be celebrated in the municipality.
“We get to keep the origins, and Tequila can keep the fame it already has,” municipal tourism chief Raudel Ocampo Rivera explained.
Jalisco company Tequila La Cofradia has found a successful and rapidly growing business opportunity in the form of a unique “chili pepper-cured” tequila called Agave Loco, containing faint lime and salt flavors. The new investment, in partnership with a Chicago wine and spirits distributor, is in step with several other tequileras that hope to boost foreign sales through distinctive liquors.
Agave Loco is sold exclusively in the United States with a retail price of 20 dollars according to La Cofradia’s general director Carlos Hernandez.
Agave Loco doesn’t have the “harsh alcohol burn” of a normal tequila, its makers say.
“The idea came from some Americans that came to Guadalajara and demonstrated their project, and developed it with us,” said Hernandez. The first order of 2,200 cases was exported to the United States last month.
Agave Loco’s website cites the “legend” of a man who finds a jar of chilis in his grandmother’s home, which were pickled in tequila instead of vinegar. The peppers were delicious and so was the leftover tequila, which was found to be smoother than its unspiced derivation. El Torito, a traditional drink from Guerrero, is taken from this idea, consisting of mescal, vinegar, green chili, onion, tomato and cheese. Agave Loco’s chili-curing process is a variation of the technique used to make El Torito.
Chili-curing, claims the company, reduces the “harsh alcohol burn” one experiences with a normal tequila, leaving only the aftertaste of jalapeño and serrano peppers, as well as a little heat.
Agave Loco will be promoted intensely in liquor showcases throughout the United States to establish its position on the market. The spicy drink has been well received so far thanks to successful marketing strategies.
Tequila Patron and Tequila Herradura are also refining their standing in the U.S. market. Hernandez noted that establishing a new brand can turn around a five- to six-million-dollar profit in the first year, but can expect to sell around 100 million dollars of product in the future once the company gains a stronghold. Many U.S. entrepreneurs see already-established tequileras as a reliable business venture and are investing big bucks.
Hernandez also expects to expand La Cofradia’s business in Russia by 400 percent. Plans are also being developed to export tequila in bulk to India.
Source: http://guadalajarareporter.com
The good news is record production of more than 280 million litres of tequila in 2007: the best year of the decade for tequileros. The bad news is an uncertain future, both for the unsold litres of tequila, and for their source, the area's agave plant. Part of this year's record production, unfortunately, came at the expense of growers. Tequileros chose to make more tequila as prices of agave plummeted to less than a peso per kilogram, compared to a record 18 pesos per kilo during the agave shortage crisis in 2000.
The year's record production, however, is good news for fans of añejo and extra anejo tequila. The standing inventory of tequila is now more than 185 million litres, most of which must be aged or go to waste. Tequileros say that storage costs and the taxation of "aged" products will create a maturing market of higher-quality products, even as it hits them in the pockets.
Source: http://guadalajarareporter.com
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