Firme–a fresh take on branding for a mezcal rooted in tradition

Contributor Anna Bruce takes a deep dive into Firme Mezcal, looking at how Alberto Ochoa learned how to create a mezcal brand with heart. All photos by Anna Bruce.

For Alberto Ochoa, a proud Chicano from Southern California, mezcal has become a connection to his roots. Growing up, Alberto spent time visiting his family in Morelos, Mexico. He vividly recalls mezcal fuelling family get-togethers: “They would bring these plastic jugs after a big meal. My abuelita would cook amazing pozole bowls, feeding 50 of my family members in Morelos. And then I distinctly remember her busting out this little plastic jug.”

Alberto always had big dreams of starting his own businesses, and describes himself as a risk-taker. In 2002, he launched Revolucion Cantina in Fullerton, California. He told Shout Out LA that “The restaurant industry is cutthroat. If you don’t stay relevant, it is death.” True to his word, he was persistent, and this paid off. Time and commitment to the industry eventually gave him the confidence to branch out and start his dynamic mezcal brand, Firme.

How did Firme Mezcal become firme?

While developing the concept for Firme Mezcal, Alberto was inspired by his Chicano community. With the brand he aims to embody the “in-between” nature of their cultural hybridity, characterized by diverse art forms, distinct language variations, and social activism.  

The term Chicano originated in the early 20th century as a self-identification for Mexican Americans and became a symbol of pride during the 1960s. The Chicano Movement grew in the 1970s, as people fought for equal rights and a claim to cultural recognition. They advocated for civil rights, labor rights, and education reform for Mexican-Americans. 

Alberto expresses how the Chicano community values family, religion, and Mexican heritage. This is the philosophy that inspired Firme Mezcal, which Alberto says was “born from the Mexican-American experience. Hardworking counterparts in lands divided by a river but united by a passion. Ni de aqui, ni de alla.”

He recalls being “a bit of a troublemaker,” in his youth, a fan of graffiti and the iconic low-rider style, often associated with Chicano culture. These influences are evident in the brand aesthetic and specifically the name.

Alberto remembers spending months working through different names. Originally, he wanted to go down the same route as his Revolucion Cantina with a name that honored his Mexican ancestors and history. But nothing stuck. While brainstorming, one of his friends said: 

“Hey, man, why don’t you do something that doesn’t represent anything from Mexico? Do something else that you connect with, something that you grew up with. Something that says ‘You’re down with it,’ something… firme.” And so Firme Mezcal was born.

Firme comes from Chicano slang, but has a slightly different meaning in Spanish. Alberto explains,”In Spanish, this literally translates to firm or well-made. However, if you take the same word into the US, it has a completely different meaning: closer to “badass/ trustworthy.” 

Alberto explains that Chicanos use firme to explain something or someone. “We see a nice car. And say, Oh, the car is firme. Which is a badass car. Or even a restaurant or a bar, is like, Hey, man, that place is firme.” When used to describe a person, it denotes someone trustworthy and loyal. So for Alberto the name fit on many levels. 

The current label takes inspiration from the Chicano graffiti and tattoo culture of Alberto’s youth. The original design for Firme was quite different, showing what Alberto describes as “a little chicano with a big mustache and glasses. He was the homie.” Over time, the brand refined the aesthetic.

Alberto remembers that they wanted it to look like a wall canvas, without being an actual graffiti piece. He explains that the Old English F in the logo is very common in traditional Chicano tattoos  and graffiti. The central image is pulled from the Aztec calendar with elements including agave hearts and flowers, symbolising Mexican heritage. Alberto says that the different colors for labels of expressions reference iconic sports teams, for example: “Tan and purple on the jabali for the Lakers or blue and white on the ensamble (of six agaves) for the Dodgers.” Firme’s special editions, such as the espadin distilled with cempasuchil with mandarin, have unique designs from Chicano collaborators. 

It hasn’t always been that easy promoting the brand through a Chicano aesthetic, even to the Chicano community. Alberto explains that  people in Chicano communities tend to be fiercely loyal, even to their choice of drink, making it difficult to introduce new products. On the other hand, he has experienced some pushback from the broader agave spirits community who did not resonate with the Chicano identity. 

He says it was the commercial work by Chicano artists like Mr. Cartoon, who starred in a commercial for the 2021 superbowl with his designs for Modelo beer, that bolstered Alberto’s resolve. “Can you imagine the marketing team for Modelo and everything that they did behind it? You don’t want to work with that because it’s kind of scary, you know, with this bald headed cholo doing graffiti on the wall. But they understood the value that he would bring to the community.”

Since launching Firme, Alberto has been working closely with creatives, like Rob the Original and Decoy Munoz, who celebrate Chicano aesthetics and values. Firme has also sponsored events, exhibitions, and programs such as the Calipso Show produced by Jonny Murillo and Chicano Hollywood. 

Alberto says that the goal is to continue reaching out to different influential Chicanos in any field. “Someone that gives back to the community in some way, you know, but for us it represents art culture, muralists, tattoo artists, things like that.”

Alberto created Firme in partnership with fourth-generation mezcalero, Jorge Mendez Cortes. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit their new palenque in Santiago, Matatlan, where they treated Brooks and I to an extensive tasting as they told us their story. 

Finding a “firme” producer

When Alberto traveled to Oaxaca in 2019, he initially struggled to find a mezcal producer he could connect with. He didn’t want to work with someone who was just looking to sell their mezcal, but rather find a producer who was keen to collaborate and contribute to the overall brand. “We were driving around for hours each day, looking for someone who fit with the brand,” he says. 

Alberto visited many producers before spotting smoke rising from Jorge’s palenque. Fortunately, the pair quickly hit it off, becoming firm friends and business partners. 

Jorge was interested in collaborating with Alberto on Firme, as opposed to purely selling batches of liquid. Like Alberto, he is keen to celebrate his heritage, Zapotec culture, and artisanal mezcal tradition. His family production dates back to his great-grandfather Felipe Méndez,. “At this time, mezcal was used as a form of barter…To exchange it for corn for animals. Or as a Guelaguetza,” Jorge explains. 

The family brand is “Don Secundino,” named after Jorge’s grandfather. Originally, he distilled in a clay pot, but transitioned to copper distillation. Secundino Méndez Martínez passed away at 63 from an abdominal hernia, which Jorge explains was due to hard labour; “That’s why we honor his legacy by using his name on our brand.”

Enrique Méndez Jiménez, Jorge’s father, shared his love for the land and his passion for the culture of mezcal with his children. Jorge says his father always encouraged them to carry on with the path forged by Secundino, “honoring his legacy through this beautiful art.” 

Jorge inherited land where he could make his own agave spirits, but didn’t learn directly from his father, who changed professions in 1975 to become an artisanal baker in Matatlan. 

Despite not learning the craft directly from his father, Jorge still apprenticed from a young age. Jorge says that he was twelve when he began working in different palenques. While learning from the Hernandez family in San Baltazar, Jorge’s interest in distilling took hold. 

Jorge’s commitment to learning extended to his academic work. He studied business administration at the University of Benito Juarez, Oaxaca (UABJO). During his time at school and university, he pursued a passion for languages. He speaks Spanish, Zapotec and excellent English. He says he refined his English skills through a combination of natural enthusiasm, a good teacher, and spending time with family members visiting from LA.

In 2015 he finished university. After graduating, Jorge realized he wanted to pursue mezcal production. “I decided to permanently move into the world of mezcal and revive the family’s abandoned palenque. And that’s how I began working on my own.”

Over the last year, Jorge has been building a new palenque up the road from his family’s original spot. Having a clean slate has allowed him to pursue sustainable initiatives, such as extensive filtering of vinasas, using gas instead of wood for distillation, and building in structural elements to help with efficiency.

Jorge explains that finding sustainable solutions is important to him after seeing the damage a growing industry can cause. This can be a challenge. “Being sustainable represents more expenses because it requires more investment,” he notes, but adds, “The satisfaction of doing things right for the benefit of nature gives us great peace, and for me, that means being right with God, who gives us everything, and for free!”

The palenque is on a steep plot on the hillside overlooking Matatlan. You approach it by a dirt track, passing through beautiful fields of cultivated agave, including tobala and jabali. Behind the palenque, wild tepeztate emerges from a craggy landscape that is communally owned. 

The steep plot supports a key architectural choice to make the best use of gravity. The oven is at the highest point in the back of the palenque and is large for an artisanal cook–the rock-lined pit has a twenty ton capacity. Jorge explains that they often simultaneously cook different agave species, even if it’s not for an ensemble. After roasting, they separate the agave for use in various expressions. 

For crushing the agave, Jorge uses a tahona. The chunky wheel is a bit thicker than I have typically seen in Matatlan, weighing over a ton. Fortunately Jorge’s strong, glossy, quarter horse, Teresa, pulls it easily. Alberto also bought a second horse for the palenque, the glamorous Aurelio el Güero. Güero and Teresa clearly have a sweet bond. 

The juice from the crushed agave is channelled through a drain and added to pine fermentation tubs, along with pulped agave fiber. The first time I visited, the surface of each tina was completely coated with bees. Jorge says the type of insect depends on the season, but they get bees more often than fruit flies. 

On the next level down, they have eight standard-sized alembic stills. Seven out of the eight are run on gas (the last is with traditional wood to assess the different method for now). Gas means using less wood and makes it easier to control the temperature and pace of distillation. 

Jorge has produced a range of expressions for Firme Mezcal, including limited batch ensambles and a Dia de los Muertos edition distilled with mandarin and cempasúchil. Alberto explains that they always wanted to develop a brand with a variety of expressions. With Firme they hope to reach new audiences, but also consumers looking for  “the new rare batch, you know, the new wild agave, the high proof stuff.”

While we talked about the history of the brand, Alberto, Jorge Brooks and I also got in the tasting notes of their range of expressions. In general, Firme is not particularly smokey, instead showcasing bright botanicals and fruity notes. For example,  Brooks described the ensemble of espadin/tobala as clean yet creamy with light floral and sweet notes, while the tepeztate is vegetal with sage at the finish. 

Alberto is emphatic in crediting his success to the support of his wife and family, as well as his “organized and visionary” team, including Daniel Ochoa, director of Mexico operations, and marketing director Bruno Lopez. Alberto is effusive in his praise for his support network, including Ochoa, Lopez and his wife Elizabeth. “Without her support this crazy idea would have never been possible.  

Alberto has also been fortunate to have a significant mentor while developing Firme. Recounting his relationship with Jim Riley, Alberto begins with “So this is another crazy story” (always a great start).

While Alberto was still running Revolucion Cantina, Jim came in with a roller bag of Azunia tequila and said “Do you want to try my tequila? I’m the founder.” Alberto ended up buying a few bottles of blanco, which led to over a decade of sales. Alberto explains, “Jim built his brand exactly like how I’m doing. Door to door doing sales.” 

Jim eventually handed over his brand to a distributor, and gradually he and Alberto fell out of contact. 

When Alberto’s restaurant shut down during COVID, he pivoted to mezcal. After meeting Jorge and seeing there was possibility for the brand, the next questions were: Who exports it? How does it cross the border? The taxes? 

Scrolling through his phone, Alberto landed on Jim’s number, and Jim picked up. Jim had successfully sold his tequila brand for millions; when Alberto presented the idea of Firme, Jim immediately connected him with a distributor.

Jim still owned the import licenses he had acquired for his tequila and passed these over to Alberto, who converted the licences to Ochoa Imports LLC. According to Alberto, he just handed over the keys. “He’s like, there you go, man.Thank you for believing in me when I was doing the door to door sales.”

Through Ochoa Imports, Alberto distributes his flagship product Firme, as well as several wines, and an agave wine, which Alberto explains is to cater to establishments that only have beer or wine licenses (common in Mexican restaurants). Alberto and Jorge are also discussing new products, such as canned ready-to-drink cocktails with Firme.

Firme was first distributed in Arizona and then bit by bit to other states, including Nevada, Florida, Texas, and California. They have recently been picked up by Total Wine, which will put them in front of a huge new consumer base. 

“I am all about empowering those that surround me and empowering my people: mi gente from my beloved Mexico and mi gente from my beloved US of A,” Alberto says.  

Going forward, Alberto and Jorge are planning to tour together in Mexico and the US. It’s important to Alberto and the rest of the team for Jorge to present his side of the experience and help people understand the truly collaborative nature of the brand. 

Jorge explains that Firme represents Mexican culture fused with American culture. He says the Chicano community in particular “They adapt to something different–just like the maguey, they are survivors.” Through Firme Mezcal, he and Alberto aim to honor their “history and all the achievements of our ancestors through this magical drink that is mezcal, from the magic of the countryside to the taste of our mezcal.”