Leo Ortega, a mechanical engineer from Murrieta, California, started growing blue agave plants on his property a decade ago because his wife liked their appearance. Little did he know that this decision would pave the way for a promising new crop in the state. As California faced years of drought and a need to reduce groundwater pumping, more and more Californians turned to agave farming as a water-efficient alternative.
The 49-year-old Ortega is just one of the many individuals and farmers in California who have embraced agave cultivation. Agave is being planted and harvested to produce spirits, similar to tequila and mezcal in Mexico. This trend has been fueled by the combination of a desire for hardy crops that require minimal water and an increasing demand for premium alcoholic beverages, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shift to agave cultivation is driven by the need for water-efficient crops and irrigation methods in anticipation of stricter regulations on groundwater pumping and the unpredictable weather patterns brought about by climate change. Unlike most other crops, agave thrives with very little water. Ortega discovered that his agave plants grew better when they were not watered regularly.
Encouraged by the success of his initial batches of spirits made from Agave americana, Ortega is now investing in a distillery. During the pandemic, consumers began spending more on high-quality spirits, leading to a rise in premium beverage products. Tequila and mezcal were the second-fastest growing spirit category in the United States in 2022, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
While tequila and mezcal are proprietary spirits protected by Mexican laws, agave growers and distillers in California, Texas, and Arizona believe there is a market for agave-based spirits produced outside of Mexico. They see an opportunity to meet the growing demand for agave products domestically.
Alfonso Mojica Navarro, director of the Mexican Chamber of the Tequila Industry, expressed concerns about other players producing agave spirits that allude to tequila without being the same. However, he believes that Mexico can respond to the increasing demand for tequila.
Although agave farming is not yet widespread in California, the popularity of agave spirits made from fermented agave cores is rising. Ventura Spirits owner Henry Tarmy, who distilled his first batch five years ago, mentioned that they have sold everything they have made.
To protect its nascent agave industry, California enacted a law last year requiring “California agave spirits” to be made solely from plants grown in the state, without additives. The California Agave Council, comprised of a dozen growers and a few distillers, was also formed to support the industry.
Growing agave presents its own challenges. The plant takes at least seven years to mature and is difficult to harvest since a mature plant can weigh hundreds of pounds. Once harvested, the plant must be regrown. Despite these challenges, many see agave as a viable alternative as California seeks to reduce water usage.
Although California experienced record rainfall and snowfall that ended a three-year drought, scientists predict that dry periods will continue and extreme weather patterns will become more common due to climate change. Stuart Woolf, a farmer in California’s Central Valley, started considering agave as a crop due to future water limitations. He planted approximately 200,000 agave plants on land he would have otherwise left fallow. Each acre of agave requires only 3 inches of water per year, which is significantly less than the water demand of row crops, pistachio, and almond trees.
Woolf and his wife made a $100,000 donation to the University of California, Davis, to establish a research fund focused on agave varieties and their potential as a low-water crop. Woolf believes that agave farming is a climate-resilient and drought-tolerant solution for utilizing their land while conserving water.
As the demand for agave continues to grow, more growers are joining the California Agave Council, eager to meet the demand for this unique crop. With its ability to thrive in arid conditions and the rising popularity of agave-based spirits, agave farming presents a promising future for farmers in California and beyond.
