Mezcalistas is the leading media and events company dedicated to raising awareness about agave and Mexican craft spirits in the United States since 2012. Through our online publication and tasting events, we share the world of agave spirits to a mixed audience of industry insiders and consumers. Since its founding, Mezcalistas has become the trusted source of information for all things agave and Mexican craft spirits.
Our Team
Susan Coss
Co-founder/Director
Susan is the Co-founder and director of Mezcalistas, and has been traveling the backroads of mezcal producing regions since 2010. She is a long-time business, marketing and communications strategist in the sustainable food and beverage worlds. Over the past 20 years, Susan’s work has focused on promoting the connection between land, farmers, and food and beverage crafters through her work not only with Mezcalistas but also with Foodwise and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, the Eat Real Festival, Slow Food and more. Through her work, she has developed innovative and experiential programming to engage consumers including events, tours, talks and educational materials. She has a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is bilingual.more +
Cristina Mariana Garcia
Creative Director
Cristina is the Creative Director for Mezcalistas. Part of Mezcalistas since its inception, she has designed all of the artwork and logos and has been key in not only helping develop the vision for Mezcalistas but also in bringing clear identity and beauty to our projects. She has participated in diverse artistic and graphic design work in Mexico, France, United States and Germany. Cristina was the Director of Design and Production at the Centro de las Artes de San Agustin in Oaxaca. Her creative work has led her to develop projects that foster the right to culture and the strengthening of the biocultural identity of communities within the state of Oaxaca.more +
Felisa Rosa Rogers
Editor
Felisa lives in rural Oregon, but grew up in both Mexico and the US. Fifteen years ago, she began seriously researching agave spirits while working for The People’s Guide to Mexico. She has written for National Geographic and The Guardian, was a culinary columnist for Salon, a developer for history and language arts textbooks, and the executive editor for MJBI, a news source for the cannabis industry. Mezcal writing encompasses many of her interests, including rural issues, education, Mexican history and culture, sustainable solutions, and drinking. more +
Tess Rose Lampert
Program Director/Contributing Writer
Based in New York, Tess has worked in the drinks and hospitality community for nearly 15 years, and has become one of the nation’s leading agave educators. From importing and wholesale, to retail, buying for restaurant groups, and judging for national spirit competitions, she has experience in virtually all positions within the industry. This diversity has cultivated a unique and valuable set of skills, relationships and knowledge to offer full and customized service to her clients.more +
Anabel Jacinto Blanco
Oaxacan Associate
Ana has been part of Mezcalistas since its beginning, acting as the trusted Oaxacan arm and keeping us up to date on news and events and more. Her background in restaurant management, events and marketing, combined with her knowledge of local food traditions and mezcal has been vital to our understanding of Oaxacan culture. She has recently expanded her role by leading small, personal tours throughout Oaxaca, taking on concierge like tasks for visiting industry needing assistance in planning their visits, and developing and maintaining relationships in Oaxaca for Mezcalistas. She also recently launched a mezcal tasting experience called Recia.more +
Joahna Hernandez
Contributing Writer
Joahna is a Mexican entrepreneur and a passionate advocate of heirloom maize and mezcal. She recently moved back to Mexico City from Washington, D.C. where she lived for more than ten years. During her stay in the nation’s capital, she did public relations for the Mexico’s Tourism Board before transitioning to the hospitality industry, where she worked in management and marketing before starting her own food business company. Joahna became immersed into the mezcal world by completing the first certification course about Mezcal which helped her spread the love of mezcal in the restaurants where she worked to curate one of the first agave spirits bar menu in the city. She also founded and operated Manos de Maíz in DC. When she is not writing for Mezcalistas, Joahna works with Arca Tierra Collective, a group of young chefs and emerging talents transforming the freshly harvested ingredients from the chinampas in Xochimilco into delicious meals. Joahna began collaborating with Mezcalistas in 2020.more +
Anna Bruce
Contributing Writer
Anna Bruce is a British photojournalist based in Oaxaca. In 2013 she achieved a commission from the Mexican Embassy (London) to capture details of the mezcal process. The project led to exhibitions at venues including and London School of Economics and this exposure brought work with mezcal brands and further journalism on the subject. She developed an artists exchange between the UK and Mexico called the First Food Residency that explored food sovereignty through a creative lens and became part of the Mexico/UK dual year in 2015. Following years of facilitating visiting artists, while working intimately with mezcal producers for publications and brands, Anna harnessed this experience to start Rambling Spirits; a project offering a spectrum of experiences, such as exploring Oaxaca’s beauty and crafts while learning about agave. She also continues to work as a photographer and journalist with a focus on agave spirits. You can see her photography work at www.ramblingspirits.net/gallery and in her own publications – Masters of the Spirit and Perros y Palenques. Anna began collaborating with Mezcalistas in 2022.more +
Ferron Salniker
Event Manager (Washington DC, San Francisco)
Ferron is a freelance food and beverage writer with a focus on identity, origins and the systems behind how we eat and drink. She also produces events, and offers consulting on creative storytelling and agave spirit curation and education. For Mezcalistas, she produces Mexico in a Bottle. Ferron’s reporting has been published in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Vice, Whetstone and other publications. Ferron has lived in Mexico and developed deep relationships on both sides of the border of the mezcal industry. She has a degree in Spanish and Journalism. She is currently based between Oakland and Los Angeles.more +
Cristina Clark Gutiérrez
Event Manager (Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego)
Cristina, born in Mexico City, is a passionate advocate for mezcal, with a deep-rooted appreciation for its cultural heritage and diverse flavors. Her travels through Oaxaca and Michoacán, where she visited numerous palenques and vinatas, have deepened her connection to this artisanal spirit. Now living between San Diego and Valle de Guadalupe, Cristina continues to celebrate and preserve the rich traditions of Mexican culture. With 12 years of experience as a bilingual educator, she recently transitioned to the world of event planning and management. After years of volunteering at Mexico In a Bottle events, Cristina has taken on the role of event manager for the San Diego, Phoenix, and Chicago editions of Mexico in a Bottle. Her dedication to crafting unforgettable experiences underscores her commitment to honoring and showcasing the vibrant world of Mexican culture through mezcal.more +
Max Garrone
Co-founder
Max is the Co-founder of Mezcalistas. Max has been a journalist and editor covering events as diverse as presidential elections and the meaning of David Lynch’s movies for publications like Salon.com and SFGate.com. He is currently a content strategist and digital media consultant for a variety of clients with projects as diverse as tablet magazines, global education curriculum, and an open source video news platform.more +
Work with Us
Consulting
Brand & Product Launch
Whether you are launching a new product or looking to invigorate an existing brand, we can plan and execute activations strategically targeted to your most important audience. Through consumer and trade facing events, social media campaigns, and engagement with local distributors we can help you both identify the necessary steps and enact them to reach your goals.
Strategic Brand Planning & Development
Understanding the market landscape is key for any brand or organization looking to build or launch its business. We can help identify new market and/or growth opportunities for new or established brands, develop creative and/or marketing strategy and manage the development of art and materials for brand or organization.
Education & Events
These two cornerstones are part of our customized approach with each client, though we also offer these services as standalone services. Examples of these include staff trainings, distributor and sales force presentations and work withs, consumer dinners, educational tastings, online talks, and tours, among others.