When Judy Rivera sought to make her own brand of tequila, she was determined to find a master distiller whose views and outlook were similar to hers. It wasn’t long before she found Carmen Lucia Barajas Cárdenas–“Melly” to her friends–and Sino Tequila was born.
Melly Barajas always intended to be a Tequila Boss Lady. After years of apprenticeship in the male dominated Tequila Industry, she purchased land in the highlands of Jalisco called Valle de Guadalupe and constructed her own distillery, Vinos y Licores Azteca (NOM 1533).
She resolved to hire only women from the rural area and to teach them all she knew, from operating fermentation tanks to bottling and more. She also established a learning center and living quarters at the distillery for her all female staff.
Melly has become a force to be reckoned with, tackling the Tequila Industry on her own terms. Here’s what she had to say in response to our customary questions.
[Editor’s note: For the convenience of our interviewee and our Spanish speaking audience, this article is in both English and Spanish.]
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TA: How would you describe your experiences as a woman in a primarily male dominated industry? (What are the challenges you face when dealing with the male dominated Tequila Industry?)
(¿Cómo describiría sus experiencias como una mujer de alto rango en su posición en una industria dominada principalmente masculina?)
MB: Fascinating!
It’s a world filled with constant challenges, where you have to work a lot and assert yourself. Where you have to demonstrate that your sex doesn’t matter, 
and instead, do things right and always move forward to improve yourself every day.
It’s a place where you find many helpful circumstances and others that are difficult obstacles that force you to struggle each day and to not give up.
It’s work that changes your life. There’s always new things, new people, new experiences, new challenges. The key is to wake up each day ready to relish whatever comes up.
(Facinante!
Es un mundo lleno de retos constantes, donde tienes que trabajar mucho y hacerte valer, donde debes demostrar que el sexo no importa sino hacer las cosas bien y siempre estar en movimiento y superarte tratando de ser cada dia mejor.
Es un espacio donde encuentras muchas manos amigas y otras manos duras que te retan y así te obligan a estar luchando cada dia y no darte por vencida.
[Tweet “Tequila: It’s work that changes your life. #MellyBarajas @SinoTequila”]
Es un trabajo que conviertes en tu vida. Siempre hay cosas nuevas, gente nueva, experiencias nuevas, retos nuevos, la clave es levantarte todos los días lista para disfrutar lo que venga)
TA: How have you been able to change things within the Tequila Industry?
(Cómo han sido capaces de cambiar las cosas dentro de su industria?)
MB: Hmmm. Realistically, I’m not sure I’ve changed anything in the industry.
What I can say is that we’ve changed the lives of many women in the town where the distillery is located in Valle de Guadalupe, Jalisco.
Well, in the factory, besides teaching them how to make very good tequila, we’ve taught them that because we’re women, we are limited by NOTHING.
On the contrary!
In the factory, we do all types of jobs that perhaps have been labeled men’s work because it requires more physical strength than what we ladies have, but, by our astuteness that defines us, we develop skills and invent things to do our jobs equally as well as gentlemen.
Besides, when they demonstrate [to themselves] that they can do things that they’ve never even dreamed of, and that they can do so wondrously, they take that lesson into their daily lives and it changes their manner of thinking and they begin to forget their physical restrictions because women’s limitations exist only in their minds.
I’m not saying it’s easy, but the difficulty makes all the difference and the fun.
(Mmmm, realmente no se si he cambiado algo de la industria.
Lo que si te puedo decir que hemos cambiado la vida de muchas mujeres en el pueblo donde esta la tequilera en Valle de Guadalupe Jalisco.
Pues en la fabrica ademas de enseñarles hacer muy buen tequila, se les ha enseñado de no por “ser mujeres” estamos limitadas a NADA,
Al contrario !!!
En la fabrica se hacen todo tipo de trabajo, que tal vez se etiquetan como trabajo de hombres por que requieren de mas fuerza que las que tenemos las damas, pero con la astucia que nos distingue hacemos mañas e inventamos cosas para hacerlas igual de bien que los caballeros.
[Tweet “Hemos cambiado la vida de muchas mujeres en el pueblo #MellyBarajas @SinoTequila”]
Ademas cuando les demuestras que pueden hacer cosas que ni en sueños pensaron que pudieran hacer, y lo pueden hacer de maravilla, este aprendizaje lo llevan a su vida diaria y cambia su modo de pensar y empiezan a olvidar sus ” disque limitaciones ” por que las limitaciones de las mujeres solo están en su cabeza.
No digo que sea fácil, pero lo difícil hace la diferencia y lo divertido.)
TA: What do you see as the future of women working within the Tequila Industry?
(¿Qué ves como el futuro de las mujeres que trabajan en la industria del Tequila?)
MB: The future of women in Tequila has arrived!
Our tequilas say it all: The feminine touch on tequila is its magic, its heart, and its soul.
In tequilas made by women, or with women’s help, a little piece of their hearts travels to all parts of the world.
Since every day more women are working, it is this medium that has begun to be an important source of employment in the tequila [making/growing] regions.
(El futuro de las mujeres en el Tequila ha llegado!!!
Nuestros tequilas lo dicen todo, el toque femenino en el tequila es la magia, es el corazon, es su alma.
En los tequilas que hacen las mujeres, o con ayuda de mujeres se va un pedacito de su corazon a todas partes del mundo.
Ya que cada dia mas mujeres trabajan es este medio que ha empezado hacer una fuente de trabajo importante en las zonas tequileras.)
TA: What facets of the Tequila Industry would you like to see change?
(Qué cosas gustaría cambiado?)
MB: Everything has its time and takes its course.
I believe that doing things right and demonstrating to the world the value of women in our beverage [tequila] industry is on a sure path.
(Todo lleva su tiempo y su curso.
Creo que el hacer las cosas bien y demostrarle al mundo el valor de las mujeres en nuestra bebida va por buen camino.)
TA: Do you approve of how Tequila brands are currently marketing themselves?
(Esta Ud de acuerdo con la comercialización de marcas de tequilas, hoy en dia?)
MB: That’s an interesting question.
I’d like all tequila to be [made of] 100% Agave Azul Tequilana Weber so that it could only be from the juice of this miraculous plant with all its properties.
There is a reason that the ancient Aztecs made offerings of this elixir to the gods and it was only imbibed by priests.
(Es interesante tu pregunta.
Yo quisiera que todo el tequila fuera solo 100% de Agave Azul Tequilana Weber, para que fuera solo jugo de esta planta maravillosa con todas sus propiedades.
[Tweet “El futuro de las mujeres en el Tequila ha llegado! #MellyBarajas @SinoTequila”]
No por nada los Aztecas ofrecían este elixir a los Dioses y solo era bebido en la antigüedad por los sacerdotes.)
TA: Is there anything you’d like to say to women who may be contemplating entering and working in the Tequila Industry in one form or another?
(¿Existe algo que le gustaría decir a las mujeres que pueden estar contemplando entrar y trabajar en la industria del Tequila en una forma u otra?)
MB: Of course.
I’d like to tell them that to sell tequila isn’t just selling a beverage, it’s giving the client an opportunity to get acquainted with this delicious and ancient beverage that was offered to the gods. It’s giving them the chance to savor a beautiful history, a lovely dream, a small piece of Mexico.
To remember that inside every bottle go the thrills, the efforts and the hopes of a town that is proudly Mexican.
The sky’s the limit.
Salúd!
(Claro.
Yo quisiera decirles que el vender tequila no solo es vender una bebida, es darle al cliente la oportunidad de conocer la deliciosa bebida milenaria que era ofrecida a los Dioses, darles la experiencia de paladear una bella historia, un bello sueño, un pedacito de Mexico.
Que recuerden que en cada botella va la ilusión, el esfuerzo y la esperanza de todo un pueblo orgullosos de ser Mexicanos.
Que su limite sea el cielo.
Salúd!)
[Tweet “Inside every bottle go the thrills, efforts, and hopes of a town that is proudly Mexican.”]
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Jorge Antonio Salles
International Business Manager at Jorge Salles Cuervo y Sucesores S.A. de C.V:
Eventhough I do not like that Diffusers are used, I think that using it is not cheating. It is a new way to produce Tequila, that is approved by law and obviously will do no harm to whom may drik it. Any way the consumer that drink Tequila that has been produced with a Diffuser are aiming at a Low Cost and Low Quality product that cannot be compared to one that has been elaborated in a traditional method, which will give a much better flavour and quality.
Rudy Gonzalez
Owner/CEO at Corazon Azul Spirits, LLC.
Jorge Antonio Salles is right on his answer, the use of Diffusers in the production of tequila will just yield a lower quality product in very large quantities but it is not cheating, although they are not largely used in the industry, only the big producers due to the cost and operation are able to buy them and put them into production, however they do also produce a product called innulina which is the sugar extracted from the Agave pine and recent studies claim this product as a weight loosing agent and reducer of sugar levels in the human system thus reducing the chances of developing diabetes.
Lamar Romero
Distilled Spirits Head Dragon and Broker / Marketer / Sipper of Artisanal Spirits
Nice bust on Herradura. LOL! 🙂
Cary Hershberger
Tequilero at http://tequilaconnection.com
While visiting Herradura in 2012, I asked the question. I believe the reply was yes, they were using the diffuser to produce their Pepe Lopez brand. They export a lot of it.
M.A. “Mike” Morales
Chief Executive Officer at Tequila Aficionado Media
They have also been known to use it on El Jimador, and have since stopped using it on Herradura.
Some purists still believe they do, however, when old Herradura is compared to modern (Brown-Forman) Herradura.
Modesto Nuñez del Toro
Gerente General en Luna Spirits SA de CV
In my opinion when the distillers used diffusers they are Cheating on self, why? One thing is the letter of the law and other is the spirits of the law.
When the distillers use a difusser, they accomplish the letter of the law despite to be an approved method to distill, but its only proposal is obtain more quantity of alcohol, the quality is secondary and this kind of producer need to “adjust” the flavor with external agents (advocantes), approved method too, but in my opinion, they are not part of the natural process.
When the distillers use a pot distill, they do it as flavor quest, to obtain the best profile possible with the natural components of the fermented agave juice, adjusting distill conditions, they follow the spirit of the law. And the quality is their first goal.
In my opinion the secret to do a real tequila is: Work in the process be careful and responsible, like you are the owner of the distillery and obtain a product with a exceptional quality, assuming you the final consumer role.
M.A. “Mike” Morales
Chief Executive Officer at Tequila Aficionado Media
Beautifully said, Don Modesto!