Where it All Started
This endeavor was always born from wonder and curiosity. Knowing that it takes an agave anywhere from eight to—depending on the species—30 years to grow into its perfectly mature and most sweet stage at which it’s ready to be harvested and made into mezcal is baffling to us. It’s what started us on this journey to deeply understand and work with this powerful plant.
The agave has bore witness to so much through this sacred passage of time. And for this, we pay our utmost respects to Nature. It wouldn’t make sense to have this beautiful, poetic, stoic plant have spent its whole life only to be rushed and have corners cut at the finish line, right when it enters the hands-on part of the process to become mezcal.
This is why we are extra careful to examine each step of our production process and ask “What is the footprint here?” “How can we make this part of the footprint lighter?” “Is there a balance that can be created so our production is truly in harmony with the Nature it relies on?” “Where might our blindspots be?” “What have we learned and how can we share this to positively impact the industry at large?”
This month, we have taken extra time to reflect on the Earth not only because of Earth Day and its expanded Earth Month, but because it is our living practice. There shouldn’t be just one period of time dedicated to our home planet—our only planet. We encourage you to join us in shifting actions and mindset into a forever-term view of care for the Earth. Each day, let’s awake and recommit to our shared home.
It Takes a Village
We put a lot of love and hard work into our mezcals, for sure, but of course we couldn’t be on this journey alone. As with any creative endeavor and production, there are so many collaborators who make it possible and mezcal is no different.
Recycled Crystal Bottles
One of our closest partners from day one has been the team at Nouvel, the Mexico City–based division of the glass producer Pavisa. Nouvel crafts each of our bottles with more than 50% recycled crystal scraps that have been reclaimed from their onsite productions. With their intensively installed solar panels on the Naucalpan and Tultitlan plants, thousands-strong tree plantations, furnace modifications, and careful management and neutralization efforts for all waste (including hazardous materials) generated onsite, Pavisa’s operations and commitment to both impeccable quality production and the environment resonate with us strongly, and we’re proud to work with them production run after production run.
Natural Beeswax
Another key partner in creating our vessels is the Guadalajara-based studio ALB Lacre y Caligrafía, a specialist in natural beeswax. It’s their natural beeswax that is the finishing touch of the hand-dipped top of our bottles. Their impressive practices such as operations in a 100% solar-powered plant, using natural raw beeswax that has been sustainably harvested, and committing to a manufacturing process that generates zero polluting waste all contribute to our pride in having them as a partner to create certified biodegradable wax that safely seals up each bottle of The Lost Explorer Mezcal.
Likeminded Harvest Partners
Due to the specific habitats each of our selected agave species likes to grow in, we choose to partner with farmers in those local communities to source the plants. Of course, this is a years-long commitment we are making, so selecting partners with shared values in sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem maintenance is a must.
As lovers of the little things in life, we are committed to producing with the details in mind. Each partner and each material at every step of the process is someone we are proud to consider part of our extended family. And this family is built on a long term celebration of the Earth.
Seeing the Future
Restoring the Earth
As a small, pretty new-to-the-scene mezcal producer, we are so occupied in the day-to-day details of production, but push ourselves to not get so caught up that we lose track of the long view. Working with agave and its long growth periods, thinking 8, 10, 12 years down is second nature to us. And while we are looking this far ahead, we are also considering what species we want to have share our soils in that time, too. In addition to diversifying the types of agave we plant together, we commit to replanting 3 agaves per every agave harvested. These practices ensure a healthy ecosystem for all creatures living around the field.
Our Partnership with the Voice For Nature Foundation
To further our commitment to advancing a more sustainable and socially conscious mezcal industry, we have partnered with the Voice For Nature Foundation, a global charity focused on creating a sustainable impact on our planet, to initiate and support industry-wide environmentally conscious practices that create measurable and meaningful impact in Oaxaca. The partnership seeks to create an open source exchange of sustainability best practices, while investing in meaningful relationships with Oaxacan artisans and tradespeople to keep tradition alive, build community, and do our part in promoting a long lasting, thriving mezcal industry and a more sustainable, prosperous Oaxaca.
As we embark on this partnership with the Voice For Nature Foundation and as we continue our production always seeking ways to reduce our footprint and deepen our community of like-minded partners, we look forward to sharing our journey and learnings with you all. Taking care of our planet requires consistent effort, a care for details, and above all a willingness to listen—to the community, to Nature.
If you have any suggestions, questions, or sustainability initiatives you would be inspired to see implemented in production, we’d love to hear. Shoot us an email here or DM us at @thelostexplorer.
