Chagoya tradition
THE FIRST GENERATION
At the age of 17, after experimenting in multiple tasks, Jorge became the main producer of mezcal in the region by establishing a modest factory near Santo Domingo del Valle - today Villa Díaz Ordaz -, a town with abundant wild agave, just a few kilometers from Tlacolula.
His factory or “palenque” used a very rudimentary process: the grinding of cooked agave was done with a mallet inside a hollow trunk; fermentation took place in cavities made of large stones, later replaced by wooden vats. The distillation equipment combined clay, wood and reeds. The success obtained, coinciding with the construction of the Oaxaca-Tlacolula railway, allowed him to establish three factories in the región.
After the great success achieved with mezcal, his entrepreneurial activities were cut short when the turbulence of the Revolution reached the Tlacolula región. Jorge, with his brave and bold character, was quick to join the ranks of the Cuerudos, leaving the production of mezcal to his son Ernesto. With the Cuerudos, Jorge fought shoulder to shoulder to defend his land from the invasion of rival soldiers, and nothing more was Heard of him.
THE SECOND GENERATION
Between1920, Ernesto, heir to the family's entrepreneurial spirit, resumed the mezcal production that his father had suddenly abandoned: he relocated the palenque to the outskirts of Tlacolula, introduced copper stills and used collectors to collect wild agave in the surrounding area. He acquired rocky land, of little value and without productive use, and set about improving it and leaving it in condition to plant agave, which allowed him, in the medium and long term, to have a continuous and secure supply of raw material. The need to maintain a constant production of mezcal led him to discover and apply a new technique to reproduce the plant, which has allowed him to increase the cultivation of the Espadín agave species, indispensable today for the production of Oaxacan mezcal.
Ernesto also became the first mezcal bottler in the state, creating his own brands: “Gotas de Maguey”, “Maguey Azul” and “Glorias de Oaxaca”, among others, a condition that allowed him to expand his market and participate in national fairs such as the one in 1933, held in the city of Puebla. Ernesto Chagoya Llaguno in turn married Teresa Hernández Vázquez, with whom he had four children: María del Carmen, Porfirio, Salomón and Ernestina.
THE THIRD GENERATION
Ofthe Chagoya Hernández brothers, it was Porfirio who, in 1940, at the head of the Maguey Azul company, promoted his brands “Maguey Azul” and “Chagoya” and made use of the most innovative advertising resources of the time to start an intense press and radio campaign (television would arrive in Mexico ten years later), which remained well engraved in the memory of consumers, who still recite some verses.
Due to the lack of communication in the rural environment, Porfirio became a patron of small palenques to which he provided equipment, training, working capital and purchase of their production. This patronage lasted until the seventies, when the former apprentices became his competitors and made Porfirio lose his markets. This situation worsened when he faced personal, physical and moral difficulties that led him to take refuge in the Isthmus region, where he had a certain distribution infrastructure.
In time, Porfirio Chagoya Hernández married Judith Méndez, his inseparable companion, and they had twelve children: four boys and eight girls. They all completed higher education. Don Porfirio, surely influenced by the “social value” that was attributed to the professional, did not want to involve his offspring in his mezcal business.
THE FOURTH GENERATION
Between1977 and 1979, Porfirio Raymundo, Víctor Manuel, Jorge Octavio and Ernesto Chagoya Méndez returned to Oaxaca after completing their studies in the country's capital and each, with independent actions, became involved in the production of agave and mezcal.
In 1979, Porfirio Raymundo, a mechanical engineer graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute, designed, promoted and managed the Agave Agroindustry Development Plan. In 1981 he obtained funding from the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) and from the SEP itself. The following year, with more than fifty percent progress in research, Porfirio joined another institution with activities also related to agave and mezcal. The result of this project was published in 1984.
Victor Manuel, an agricultural engineer who graduated from the National School of Agriculture in Chapingo, is fully dedicated to the production and cultivation of agave. He tends to family plantations, establishes nurseries and markets the plant. Jorge Octavio, a chemical engineer who graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, is involved in improving mezcal production and bottling techniques.
During the 1980s, the Chagoya brothers became partners and focused their efforts on fully integrating the mezcal production chain: agave cultivation, alcoholic beverage production, bottling and regional, national and international marketing, and thus guaranteeing the quality of their products. This experience of strengthened brotherhood, unique in the state of Oaxaca, has led them to adopt the slogan: “Chagoya Tradition.” Today, the experience of the four generations is reflected in the founding and management of the company Bebidas Excelentes S.A. de C.V.
THE FIFTH GENERATION
TheFifth Generation: The fifth generation of the Chagoya Tradition is represented through Expendio Tradición, a glorification of mezcal, the traditions of its production, and the Chagoya family that has worked with it for centuries.
The aim is to create a unique and different experience of drinking mezcal, preserving the tradition of an authentic mezcal produced by the Chagoya Tradition. At Expendio Tradición you will find a welcoming environment created especially to share the family tradition and their love for mezcal, to recount the experiences in the production of mezcal, to experience the flavors that have been discovered over time and to unite in an entire space dedicated to enjoying this high-quality drink. It offers an experience that involves all the senses and great tradition when enjoying mezcal. Its visitors experience in one place all the elements that define what mezcal and the Chagoya Tradition in Oaxaca are.
Expendio Tradición will open its doors to the public in March 2014, located in the Historic Center of the City of Oaxaca de Juárez, as a tribute to the child Chagoya who appeared in the church atrium in 1880.
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