Attending the second annual Agave Council Symposium

Originally written December 13th, 2023

Going into my first event with the California Agave Council, I didn't really know what to expect. From what I knew, this group of mainly growers and distillers was leading a revolution in an industry already dominated by established products like tequila and mezcal. To many Mexican Americans like myself, hearing that a group of Californians was aiming to disrupt this Mexican-led industry, rich with culture and history, was intriguing to say the least. What would my abuelo think? Would Mexican American consumers accept such a challenging product? Regardless of the criticism, the excitement coming out of California and UC Davis in particular caught my attention.

The specific event I attended, the Second Annual UC Davis Symposium for California Agave Growers and Distillers, was certainly not a publicly accessible event. Non-members like myself had to cough up more than $300 to attend, with members also contributing significantly for the full-day event. To top it off, it was held midweek on a Wednesday, making the trip difficult for many. Even with these barriers, the event saw impressive participation, with more than triple the attendance of last year's event. As I entered the symposium, I was honestly surprised by the diversity of the attendees and speakers. As I grabbed my morning coffee, I was refreshed to hear both English and Spanish being spoken in the crowd. To my surprise, there was indeed substantial Mexican American and Latino participation throughout the event, consisting of members, guest speakers, UC Davis academics, and non-members like myself.

Being that UC Davis is a land-grant university, previously the ancestral land of multiple Patwin Native American tribes, the event began with a respectful acknowledgment of their ancestral lands. Afterwards, the President of the California Agave Council, Craig Reynolds, gave a brief introduction and noted the diversity in participation and knowledge from Americans, Mexican Americans, and second-generation Mexican Americans (like myself). After some words from Vice President Stuart Woolf, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross set the tone of the event by discussing the challenges California farmers are facing and how agave can be part of the solution. In my opinion, her speech was the most important of the event. She highlighted how agave can be a tool in diversifying agriculture revenue streams. Paraphrasing her words, Karen Ross emphasized that the future of agave needs to be built on a foundation of science, focusing on the benefits of carbon farming and soil regeneration. According to her, we can solve a lot of the problems we're facing by integrating agriculture and forestry together, and we need to start seeing this as the solution.

As the day went on, I kept thinking how happy I was that I invested the time and resources to come see what the California Agave Council was all about. Their wide-ranging, well-thought-out presentations and panels offered something new for everyone to learn. For an up-and-coming agave enthusiast like myself, this was an incredible introduction to UC Davis's research in areas such as Agave Genomics, Virus Profiling, Weed Management, Clean Plant Material (FPS), and Agronomy. Additionally, there were valuable panel discussions from both growers and distillers, along with guest speakers like Sal Chavez of La Luna Mezcal and Clayton Szczech, the author of A Field Guide to Tequila, among many others. During the many presentations and discussions throughout the day, I kept thinking how strange it was to see people who I perceived to be competitors be so open and willing to share their knowledge and experiences. In terms of both the growers and distillers, there were vast differences in their processes, experiences, and even the species of agaves that they were working with. Even with their differences, one thing I think all the distillers could agree on was that 100% agave is the way to go. And for the Growers, they all seemed to agree that the pesty gopher was public enemy number one.

It's clear to me that this group has no interest in gatekeeping information; rather, they see the benefits of building a well-educated and informed community working toward common goals. With this being such a young industry in California, the approach of collaboration is tremendously smart, especially considering how much there is still to figure out. At this point, growers don't yet agree on which species of agave are best to grow and are even open to exploring species that have not yet been documented by science. On this very note, I believe their most impactful investments have been in their support of research at UC Davis. I look forward to updates on their current work, especially if they can secure federal research grants for additional funding.

As I reflect on the event, I think it's important to address that I perceive this group to be both critical of the Mexican Agave Spirits industry and learning from it in various ways. In multiple forms I heard criticism regarding the issues regions like Jalisco are facing with such large industry growth and the problems it has created for both the product and the environment. Additonally the legal requirements for California Agave Spirits to contain no additives seems like a contrast to the loopholes Mexican regulated Tequila has, where up to 1% of allowed additives don't have to be disclosed. However I also see how the group is celebrating and respecting the traditions of amazing products like Tequila and Mezcal, where they draw alot of inspiration from. With this in mind, part of me still fears that some producers would rather copy what tequila and mezcal are doing, instead of focusing on native California agaves and more sustainable farming practices. Words from people like Karen Ross and growers using native agaves give me hope, but I'm not sure everyone shares the same vision of what the California agave industry will evolve into. It'll be interesting to see how these dynamics play out over time. Overall, I'm optimistic that this group aims to develop a distinct industry with its own unique spirits while learning from past mistakes in the search for a better way. Going back to what my abuelo would think, I'd like to believe he would be open-minded to this entrepreneurship, which respects the history and process of making agave spirits. Just like my grandfather was not limited by borders, it's clear that the future of agave spirits will also cross borders in the search for a better way.