Agave brought together three unlikely friends: Lou Bank, Jay Schroeder, and Salvador “Chava” Peribán. While they don't always see eye-to-eye, these three amigos are working together to help educate mezcal lovers on the world of artisanal agave spirits. We find out about how their friendships blossomed – stories that involve glass blowing, cold-call visits, and complicated feelings about feet. This is a boisterous episode of HRN Happy Hour that you won't want to miss!

Lou Bank is the Founder and Executive Director of SACRED, or Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education and Development. Sacred is an American nonprofit organization that promotes a better quality of life for people who make artisanal agave spirits in Mexico.

James (Jay) Schroeder is the author of Understanding Mezcal, a guide to starting your journey with the Mexican agave-based spirit that has seen explosive growth in the U.S. in the past few years.

Salvador “Chava” Peribán develops strategies and processes to achieve sustainable, fair, and beautiful products, including agave spirits, tumblers, and adobe bricks. He has worked as director of R&D at Xaquixe, a Oaxaca-based glass-blowing studio, and as head distiller at Sombra, where he also helped reduce the distillery’s ecological footprint. He’s currently immersed in a yet-to-be-revealed agave project in Mexico City.

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