How a Non-Drinker Built an Award-Winning Mezcal Brand in Just 1 Year | Alejandra Flores

Send us Fan MailA mezcal brand can be more than a label and a flavour profile. We’re joined by Alejandra Flores, president and owner of Mayu Mezcal, and her story hits on culture, craft, and a mission that reaches back to Oaxaca and forward to real community impact. She built Mayu to honour her Indigenous grandmother, a woman who never learned to read or write yet still became a fearless businesswoman and lifelong inspiration.We get practical about what separates authentic mezcal from marketing: why organic mezcal certification matters, what “artisanal mezcal” actually means, and how espadin agave and production choices shape a spirit you sip slowly rather than shoot. Alejandra also breaks down mezcal vs tequila, from the regions and agave varieties to the traditional serving ritual with orange slices and sal de chapulín, the famous grasshopper salt from Oaxacan cuisine.If you’re curious about entrepreneurship in the spirits industry, this conversation goes behind the curtain on licensing, distributors, and the relationship driven grind of getting bottles into bars, restaurants, casinos, and retailers like Total Wine. Alejandra shares what it’s like to be one of the few women mezcaleras, how she keeps momentum through slow growth, and why her long game includes a foundation to support elderly people and stray animals in Oaxaca. Listen, share this with a founder friend, and subscribe plus leave a review so more people can find the show.