ALEJANDRO CHAMPIONMezcalero, Mezcal UNIÓN, Mexico City

"Oaxaca is where Mezcal UNIÓN was born. I love all of it: its geography, the amazing agave diversities, its mysticism, its millenary traditions and the marvelous indigenous communities. They are the center of our culture."

With a group of friends, Alejandro Champion traveled to the mountains of Oaxaca to learn about mezcal. After a day of hiking, they reached a hill and sat under a tree, where they rested. A viejo (old man) shared his mezcal and his stories with them. He told them that the future of mezcal would be based on a unión. They continued their journey with the clear understanding that they must create a unión of mezcal with different producer families. Mezcal UNIÓN provides economic sustainability and social development for all its artisanal mezcal makers; they are founded on quality of production and wellbeing of producers.

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What was your pivot point?

The pivot point was back in 2008. Deep inside me, there was a feeling of disappointment about how I was managing my time in life. I felt like I was not doing anything relevant for me or my country. I needed to do something to transcend in life. I wanted to get involved in something that would have a positive social and environmental impact.

What advice would you give someone going through their own transformation?

Practice settling down your mind. Usually at this point, we are very confused and have a lot of internal doubts. It's funny, but I believe all the answers are within us. Deep in our souls, we have all the wisdom. The best way to listen to ourselves is to practice living in the now.

Are you following the path of a trailblazer or mentor?

I've been guided by my business partners, co-workers and best friends. It's always good to touch base with people you admire.

Where is your soul place?

Oaxaca and SFO. Oaxaca because it's where Mezcal UNIÓN was born. I love all of it: its geography, the amazing agave diversities, its mysticism, its millenary traditions and the marvelous indigenous communities. In fact, they are the center of our culture. SFO, because when I was 21 years old, I had the opportunity to live for a few months in San Francisco. It's been the most inspiring place for me, and by the way, this is where I met my wife.

If you could do anything, what would you do next?

Create a mass collaboration project that's directly involved in preserving Planet Earth. We need to guide and motivate humanity to become better human beings, and we need to make sure we still have a healthy planet for future generations.

What are you working on now?

Mezcal UNIÓN, born and made in Mexico.

All images used with permission of Alejandro Champion.