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818 Tequila & Sacred reveal community projects
Non-profit Sacred Agave has revealed further details of its partnership with 818 Tequila, the brand created by reality TV star Kendall Jenner.
Jenner’s brand announced its partnership with Sacred, which aims to support the rural Mexican communities that produce agave spirits, back in October 2021.
Together, the organisations created the 818 Bricks Program, which turns raw, post-production agave fibres into bricks that can be used in construction.
In a Facebook post in the Thirsty: Beverage Industry Discussion Group earlier this month, Sacred Agave founder Lou Bank said the charity’s partnership with the celebrity Tequila brand will focus on two main projects.
The first is the build of a public library, which will be housed in the Escuela Secundaria Tecnica #38 in Zapotitlán de Vadillo, Jalisco, Mexico. The library will also serve as a classroom space focusing on regenerative agriculture.
Architect Eric Gomez, of design firm Tierra Cruda, will oversee construction of the facility. The building will be made of adobe bricks produced in the local community, using by-products from 818 production that will be delivered from the Tequila brand’s factory in Amatitán.
“More than half of the proposed budget for the structure itself will also serve as local economic development, going to Zapotitlán residents who are employed as construction labor and to local businesses from which we will purchase materials,” Bank noted.
The second project undertaken by the partnership is the rebuild of a small, pre-industrial distillery, or tachica, in San Juan Espanatica, Jalisco.
The distillery, owned by fifth-generation mezcal producer Don Arturo, produces 2,000-3,000 litres of mezcal each year. It is built into a hillside that is currently facing erosion, and the project seeks to safeguard the property from further damage using 818 Bricks, while adding new features such as a tasting room and bathrooms for the distillery’s visitors.
“Arturo’s tachica plays a significant role in the cultural heritage of the community,” Bank wrote in the Facebook post. “When his neighbors come to purchase ‘vino de mezcal’ from him, we’d like them to have a nice place to sit and visit, to taste the spirits.”
In November 2021, 818 Tequila launched a range of merchandise, with proceeds supporting Sacred.
Last month, the Tequila brand reported sales of 136,000 cases over its first seven months of business.