Tlacolula Distillery, a company dedicated to the production of mezcal in Oaxaca, received from the National Export Prize 2018 from President Enrique Peña Nieto, in the Agroindustrial Enterprise category, at the XXV National Congress of Foreign Trade held in the City of Toluca, State of Mexico.
The Secretary of Economy, Juan Pablo Guzmán Cobián, expressed his appreciation to the Oaxacan company that was awarded for its sustainable eco distillation processes and for the high quality of its mezcal.
“Oaxaca is the world capital of mezcal par excellence. The Oaxacans are the heirs of this drink that gives us identity and that is why we are defenders of its origin. It is a pride that a Oaxacan company is recognized nationally,” he said.
Three months prior to the award ceremony, the evaluation process was carried out, in which different factors were considered:
The “Tlacolula Distillery” works with its own technology, respecting the requirements of the Official Mexican Standard 070 that establishes the characteristics and specifications that the distilled alcoholic drink called mezcal must fulfill, for its production, packaging, and commercialization.
Also, its eco-sustainable commitment to have an underground vault system furnace for better heat distribution and better time optimization, which avoids removing and replacing the volcanic stones, reducing by 50% the firewood used for the cooking of the maguey.
To this is added the system of biodigesters by gravity for cleaning of vinasse and waste from the production of mezcal which avoids soil contamination, the use of rainwater, the cooling water circulation system of stills, by means of a Cooling tower; the production of biogas with maguey waste and the use of environmentally friendly materials and traditional construction systems in the region.
Likewise, the export achievements of the distillery were considered, since 90% of its production is exported to the markets of the United States, Guatemala, England, France, Italy, Spain, Cayman Islands, and Australia.
In 2015, “Tlacolula Distillery” was the first artisanal company with the use of biodigesters that allows waste treatment of the industry, commonly called vinasse, to be carried out and which does not pollute the environment.
In 2015, the Regional Exporting Merit Award was won, with the participation of the States of Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz.
For 25 years, the National Export Award recognizes the talent, dynamism, and leadership of Mexican export companies.
The exporting companies generate two out of every 10 formal jobs. Currently, Mexico is the fourth country with the largest increase in the value of its foreign trade in goods in the world.