Highlands rewilded

The day is a little overcast, dulling the sun’s heat, if only a little. It’s welcome news, as I trudge up the side of the hill, the steep ascent — and altitude, I’m told — making my lungs work that much harder. The humidity doesn’t help. Around me, the agave farmers don’t break a sweat. They look at all of us — mostly bartenders or Tromba ambassadors in varying degrees of physical fitness — with some amusement as we struggle for breath trudging up and down the hill.

“It’s surprisingly fun,” says Tromba co-founder James Sherry. “Because I know I only have to do it for a day. We’re at a pretty decent altitude — your legs are heavy, you’re sweating bullets, carting agaves around, digging holes, planting plants, avoiding snakes. Just getting our hands dirty.”

I’m not sure that meets my definition of fun.

We’re at La Patrona, in the Highlands of Jalisco — folks from Australia, Canada, and the US — and we’re taking part in an initiative from Tromba’s Mexican team, the Agave Rewilding Project — a program that is part of Tromba’s long-term plan to give back and help to re-introduce some genetic diversity into the local agricultural landscape.

“We’re at what is effectively an agave sanctuary,” says Sherry. “Behind me on the hill is a huge plantation of blue agave, which is owned by the agaveros of La Patrona. This is for tequila production. And everything we’re doing on the other side of the road is to reintroduce endemic species of agave to this area to effectively re-wild and restore the land, and create some biodiversity in the region, which has been lacking since the massive uptake in commercial farming of blue agave.”

Driving from Guadalajara out towards the Highlands you’ll see row upon row of blue agave. It is, of course, the only agave species permitted in the production of tequila. But because agaves for tequila production are harvested before they can flower and produce seeds, and new plants are grown not from seeds but from clones, over the years there has been a reduction in genetic diversity among the plants, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and changing climate conditions, in turn making the livelihoods of these farmers more precarious.

Those fields of blue agave are postcard-worthy; the valleys and hills take on an azure hue as far as you can see. But it also shows just how monocultural the planting of crops in the area is: it’s all blue agave, all the time, everywhere. And that has broader implications for the environment. 

Decades ago, blue agaves were grown in concert with other crops, which makes for a healthier soil, and greater biodiversity. The intense farming, we’re told, has made soil erosion worse, and decreased diversity of flora and fauna.

The Agave Rewilding project aims to bring back some diversity, by re-introducing wild agaves endemic to the area, agaves that will grow and develop and reach maturity, not be cut down for tequila production.

Small brands like Tromba have been instrumental in the surge of interest in agave spirits, so it’s refreshing to see them looking ahead and making an effort to look after the land.

“It’s nice to put some plants into the ground after we’ve taken so many out over the years,” Sherry says. “We’ve had 16 years worth of blue agave coming out of the ground to go into bottles of Tromba tequila. It’s pretty satisfying to put some agave back into the ground and, even though we’re a small brand, try to take some responsibility for our impact on the environment.”