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Ana Lopez & Juan Pablo Mercado Raicilla La Reina de Atenguillo
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Welcome to Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST!
My name is Jessie Ott, the Host of this Podcast which is all about Beverage Innovation. I talk with Innovation Pioneers from Agriculture to Glass.
This week I spoke with Ana Lopez CEO & Founder and Juan Pablo Mercado COO & Founder at Raicilla La Reina based in Atenguillo, in Jalisco, México.
Ana grew up in a community where raicilla was common among the locals. She loved it so much that she shared it with friends at college where she met Juan Pablo. This amazing couple started out teaching others about it, where it’s made, and how important it is to Mexican culture to now owning their own brand La Reina.
Raicilla, is a spirit made from agave but it must be made with the Maximiliana type of agave (or other local wild varieties), which separates it from tequila. It is of two different styles de la Costa (from the coast) and de la Sierra (from the mountains). De la Sierra is where La Reina is produced and they use Maximiliana agave and clay ovens.
Raicilla, otherwise known as “spiritual beverage”, dates back to the 1600s but was outlawed by the Spanish to sell their own hooch in Mexico. But just like prohibition, production never stopped. About 20 years ago, the tourism industry began trying it out of curiosity, and in the last 5-6 years it has really exploded around the world, in particular Sweden, France, and the US. It even received its own Denomination of Origin in 2019.
The La Reina family is dedicated to producing pure organic sustainable products with an emphasis on biodiversity, and inclusion and supporting old traditions with a special love for their land. Raicilla is a spirit of the land and reflects the flora and fauna in which it is grown.
#drinklareina
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