EPISODE · Feb 26, 2026 · 53 MIN
#76 David Suro: Tequila, Monoculture, and the Remption of Agave
from Serves You Right · host Andrew Roy
The agave category is booming. Sales are up. Shelves are full. Celebrity brands multiply. Excel says everything is fine…Modern tequila production relies on cloned agave, chemical intervention, compressed maturation, and supply chains that strip value from the very farmers who sustain the plant. Meanwhile bars brag about sustainable tomatoes and grass fed beef while pouring industrial spirits with catastrophic environmental and cultural consequences.Welcome to David Suro’s fight. David Suro explains why one agave mother plant can produce up to 10,000 viable seeds yet the industry prioritizes five offshoot clones. Why genetic collapse forces pesticide dependence. Why jimadores with generational wisdom are migrating because the economics no longer reward stewardship. And why the United States, as the largest consumer of agave spirits in the world, has more power than it realizes.If you care about sustainability, terroir, craft, or culture, this conversation is for you.Expect to Learn:Why cloning agave is accelerating ecological vulnerabilityThe hidden cost of harvesting agave before full maturityHow bat friendly reproduction restores genetic strengthThe cultural sustainability crisis few are discussingA simple purchasing framework that protects families and landLinks:Siembra Spirits Instagram: @DavidSuropAgave Spirits by Gary Paul Nabhan and David SuroService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
What this episode covers
The agave category is booming. Sales are up. Shelves are full. Celebrity brands multiply. Excel says everything is fine…Modern tequila production relies on cloned agave, chemical intervention, compressed maturation, and supply chains that strip value from the very farmers who sustain the plant. Meanwhile bars brag about sustainable tomatoes and grass fed beef while pouring industrial spirits with catastrophic environmental and cultural consequences.Welcome to David Suro’s fight. David Suro explains why one agave mother plant can produce up to 10,000 viable seeds yet the industry prioritizes five offshoot clones. Why genetic collapse forces pesticide dependence. Why jimadores with generational wisdom are migrating because the economics no longer reward stewardship. And why the United States, as the largest consumer of agave spirits in the world, has more power than it realizes.If you care about sustainability, terroir, craft, or culture, this conversation is for you.Expect to Learn:Why cloning agave is accelerating ecological vulnerabilityThe hidden cost of harvesting agave before full maturityHow bat friendly reproduction restores genetic strengthThe cultural sustainability crisis few are discussingA simple purchasing framework that protects families and landLinks:Siembra Spirits Instagram: @DavidSuropAgave Spirits by Gary Paul Nabhan and David SuroService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
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#76 David Suro: Tequila, Monoculture, and the Remption of Agave
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