To understand Tribal Premium Mezcal, you have to go back centuries to understand the Ancient culture in Mexico. The traditional methods of making the drink are still respected. The people of the mezcal industry pass the knowledge down generation to generation. While it is learned in the Oaxacan mud, its taste fascinates people all over the World.
My name is Bernardo and my wife is Andrea. We are introducing our Tribal Premium Mezcal to market. We were attracted to mezcal because of the rich history and tradition of the Mexicans who have made it for hundreds of years. We thought it was a great fit for our skillset: my wife is a chef and I have experience in the liquor industry.
Our moment of inspiration came during a trip to Baja California in 2013. We mingled amongst the producers in the wine culture, and loved the idea of creating a brand of drink.
We eventually realized that the mezcal drink of the Oaxaca region of Mexico — historic, tasteful — was a perfect fit for our dream. The sweetness of the agave fruit had become an appealing drink in many urban areas as young and old professionals are choosing to fill their sniffers with it.
I traveled to Oaxaca in March 2013 with intentions of visiting a mezcal factory that had installed the latest technologies. However, the plant was shut down for the day. My group decided to visit Santiago Matatlan in the mezcal region of Oaxaca.
It was in Santiago Matatlán I heard the master tequilier in our group marvel at the traditional process of the mezcal makers. A mezcal master explained to me the attention to detail he had while being present for all plant operations, which included the process controls the tequila industry used in a more traditional setting.
I was so impressed with the people of Oaxaca on this trip. They had great skill and big hearts. They were artisans who sunk hours of expertise and work into their creations.
Later that year, we started to seriously discuss a beverage company while in Ensenada, which is in Baja California. We were fond of being in Mexico, surrounded by those in the grape industry. The industry’s work is recognized throughout the world.
I realized the mezcal industry is very similar, remembering my trip from earlier in the year. We began to discuss how my background in the liquor industry process, and my wife’s talents in tasting flavours, food and beverage pairing as a chef would work well in a beverage company. We knew the market for mezcal was growing, and decided to develop a company focusing on artisanal spirits produced from agave, we decided to start in the Oaxaca region.
“We loved the idea of a Mexican drink where the traditional methods are still respected,” Andrea said. “Mezcal is an industry that has not reached the industrialization. It is still done in the homes of people with their methods, knowledge acquired from generation to generation and using the same mud as their ancestors.”
Now we needed to find the best master mezcalier to make a team with for our first product.
There are 9,000 producers of mezcal in Mexico, with most of them selling in their local regions in very small batches. There are also about 200 different species of agaves, a few of them used for beverages and each has its own flavor.
What makes our Tribal Premium Mezcal so desirable is both the quality of the ingredients from our suppliers and the process our producer uses in using the same fine raw materials over and over again. They are able to create a distinctive and reliable taste so each sip ultimately produces a sweet taste of agave on your tongue.
We found a master mezcalier that now has three generations of agave farmers and mezcal producers. They use traditional Oaxaca processes to sow the agave and for the distillation processes, which enhances uniqueness and sophistication. So our Tribal Premium Mezcal uses the same processes that are handed down from generation to generation.