Our Story
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Puebla Proud
Our mezcal begins with a slow 90-minute drive outside of Puebla, Mexico. The dramatic terrain, rugged high-elevation mesas, and cyclical weather patterns are the perfect recipe for thriving agaves.
Nestled in the foothills around the small village of Huehuetlán el Grande, the palenque and agave fields are at the center of the budding Poblano mezcal movement.
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A MASTER OF MASTERS
Our story starts with fourth-generation master-mezcalero Aarón Alva Sánchez. A true mezcal visionary, Aarón is a pioneer in the mezcal space, having played a central role in the tobalá renascence.
Aarón is an artist and a scientist who has spent his life mastering the end-to-end process of agave farming through mezcal production.
Recognizing how difficult the tobalá agave is to cultivate, Aarón set out to develop a sustainable process for reproducing the finicky agave at scale. A true pioneer in the mezcal tradition, Aarón’s charismatic demeanor and legendary expertise command respect and admiration within the mezcal community.
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FEMALE-LED
A match to Aarón’s mezcal vision, Mariana Hernández has driven the commercial strategy & ambition for the business.
Mariana has followed in a long tradition of women-led mezcal operations, dating back to the prohibition era, when women would often utilize traditional dresses to hide mezcal bottles as they sold product from village to village.
Equally as comfortable at the palenque as she is in navigating land contracts, Mariana has helped to put Puebla on the map as a leading mezcal region.
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A BEAUTIFUL ENCOUNTER
Jim Cramer spent the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s savoring some of Scotland’s finest whiskies. Over the last 15 years, Jim has become enamored with the mezcal category, having tasted well over 200 different expressions from around Mexico. As Jim was becoming an expert in the complex flavor profiles and the geographic nuance of the category, his passion was driving him to seek out his perfect mezcal.
The Fósforo brand magic really begins with Lisa Detwiler, Jim’s wife. Recognizing Jim’s appreciation for mezcal, Lisa set out to find mezcal greatness and develop a brand that would echo that quest for perfection.
In late 2018, after having visited a number of producers that weren’t the right fit for their vision, Lisa and Jim met Aarón and Mariana. After spending time in the community, seeing the agave fields and tasting the exceptional liquid, they knew that they had found something special.