Ron Cooper

Ron Cooper, Founder of DEL MAGUEY, Single Village Mezcal and an internationally recognized Artist, has resided and worked in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico for the last thirty years and spent much of his time in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca for the last eighteen years. In 1990 living and making art in the state of Oaxaca he traveled far into the countryside following rumors of great pure mezcals made by Zapotec farmers, hours out dirt roads far from the capitol. He met many Palenqueros (makers), studied their production techniques handed down from father to son or daughter for generations, tasted, collected, and vowed to make this unknown elixir available outside the villages where they are made. This more than 500 year old spiritual beverage is untainted by commercial demands. One of the few spirits in the world alive in the mythical past, they retain the mysteries and embrace the notion of alcohol as a gift from the gods.