Our Philosophy
We imagine a future where the environment & people flourish together.
We believe that tradition & innovation can work together to create impactful change - focusing on solving real problems through practical solutions.
We know we have a long road ahead to get to where we want to be.
We hope you choose to be a part of our journey.
Planet
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Rainwater
Mezcal requires about 20 liters of water for every bottle produced. In Oaxaca, water resources are becoming more scarce. In order to preserve these finite water resources in the communities, we decided to harvest rainwater to make mezcal. Our 5,000 liter rainwater storage tank allows the palenque to capture water during the rainy season and utilize it for watering the agave, irrigation of the land, and distillation.
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No animal use
The agave fibers are traditionally crushed using a horse or donkey to pull a large tahona (stone). We chose to change this traditional practice and instead use a machine to shred the fiber. We can protect the livelihood of the animals, without impacting the quality of the mash. Meet “Alazana” and her baby taking in the fresh air.
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Solar
Today, we use a small solar panel at the palenque that provides lighting for the family. This is just the start. We “dream big, start small. But most of all, start” - Simon Sinek.
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Byproduct
Polluting byproducts are not specific to mezcal making, the spirits industry as a whole creates a lot of waste. In mezcal, there are two main types of byproduct: bagasse (solids) and vinaza (liquids). Together with the mezcalero, we plan to rebalance the PH level in the toxic liquid through a series of natural filters, making it safe to recycle for irrigation. We also collaborate with a local partner to repurpose the bagasse and turn it into a natural mulch to help enrich the agave soil.
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Agave
It is often said that without agave there is no mezcal. And rightly so. Agaves are being over harvested or put into monocultures. The Morales’ family farm atop the hills of San Dionisio is a natural habitat for various agave types mainly wild Tepeztate and Cuish. The family has replanted agaves near the palenque to ensure agave can be sustained in the long term.
People
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Family
Since day one, we’ve seen the Morales family work in harmony to craft this artisanal spirit. Everyone in the family- men and women- pitches in. Octavio helps lug the firewood over to the still, Juana prepares "tejate" to help quench the thirst (or hot choco to warm up when it's cold). Isabel keeps an eye on the fire. They begin to cook the meal that will serve as a much needed break and family bonding time. Together, they are able to create beauty in the form of this mezcal. This is why we made it a point to write in our label “ Handcrafted by the Morales family”.
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Education
A core pillar for long term sustainability is the exchange of knowledge. Education is a two way road that helps develop skill sets, refine a craft, nurture creative ideas, and bring us closer together. It's like planting a seed that will someday bear fruit to positive, ongoing change. Like everything that we do, we started small. Fulgencio, an accomplished chemical engineer, helped explain the science behind distillation and fermentation. Beyond helping further understand the craft, these sessions sparked curiosity. It built a spirit for continuous learning.
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Give back
We donate 5% of our profits to Isla Urbana to install rainwater harvest systems in communities that need it. Why? We believe that everyone has the right to access clean water. In Mexico, more than 9 million people lack access to water - that’s about 1/10 people. They live on about 20 liters of water per day, whereas the average American uses between 302-378 liters per day. Most of the families who lack access to water, have to spend 20% of their income to get water delivered to their homes. With one of Isla Urbana’s rainwater harvesting systems, families can fulfill all of their water needs for 5 to 9 months. If you’d like to donate, please visit https://donate.islaurbana.org/.
Our Partnership with Isla Urbana
Isla Urbana
Isla Urbana (IU) is a Mexican-American NGO dedicated to achieving water sustainability in Mexico. We want to build towards a greener future with like minded organizations like IU who are able to set a high bar for innovation and impact. Their self-designed systems can supply households with water autonomy for up to 9 months a year. Since their launch, IU has installed over 21,800 systems that harvest around 1,000 M liters of water a year.
The Morales family uprooted from their home and original distillery because of a severe drought. We decided to focus on solving a real problem through pragmatic solutions. In June 2021, we installed a rainwater harvesting system at the distillery to reduce groundwater extraction.
Packaging
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We are always on the hunt to make our packaging more environmentally friendly. Our cap was purposefully selected to be easily recyclable. Unlike most other spirits caps that are made of many components (wood, cork, synthetic), ours is designed as a single piece that can be recycled along with your other plastic waste.
We know this is just a start, and are working towards using natural byproducts to make our caps in the future. We use glass bottles and FSC certified paper for our labels because, while not particularly inventive, we want to have a good foundation from which to build. We ask that you please recycle or reuse your bottles and recycle the caps.
Look at Our Progress
Since the installation of the rainwater harvesting system, we have captured about 15,000 liters of water that have been used for distillation of the mezcal and irrigation of the fields.
We’ve been on a long journey to explore alternatives to reuse the agave fiber waste from mezcal making. With the help of artists, craftsmen, and family, we were able to turn the agave fiber into paper. Family members traveled to Coatepec, Veracruz with sacks of bagasse on an experimental mission. They worked in an artisan paper factory to produce sheets of agave paper that we will use to make biodegradable coasters.
The Morales family went back to the land, and replanted 6,000 agaves atop the San Dionisio hills. Interplanting these agaves among maize. A great reminder that mezcal is an agricultural product first.
It’s in our name- Cara a Cara. Face to Face. We don’t intend to hide. We are on a journey to be environmentally and socially conscious. And we want to share our learnings, successes, and failures along the way.
We stand for more transparency in the spirits industry. We want to do better. Here we will showcase visual proof of the work we do.
We want the QR code in the back of our bottles to serve as a window to peak inside what's behind the bottle you’re holding. It’s our way to invite anyone willing to dive deeper. We will continuously update “Our Progress” section to ensure you always know what we’re working on.
During our branding process, it was imperative that we bring details and data about our impact to the forefront. This is why we included an environmental impact "nutrition label" on the label's side to show how much groundwater was saved in each batch. It is our hope that this level of transparency will push us to do better each time.