Familia Camarena Tequila, Alto Spirits LTD, Hayward, CA

It stands to reason that Mauricio Camarena is passionate about family, agave and tequila. For Mauricio, land and family are inextricably linked. Our family has been dedicated to growing agave for six generations, and today we produce artisanal 100% blue agave tequila under the Familia Camarena label in the heart of Mexico’s fine tequila district.

Mauricio, along with his five siblings, embodies the heritage of the Camarena name and the combined lineage of pioneering tequila producer Don Eduardo Orendain and the legendary Don José Cuervo. The son of our family’s matriarch Doña Elena Herrera Orendain, Mauricio lost his father at age three and soon came under the wing of his grandfather, Don Agustin Hernandez Camarena. Mauricio’s grandfather instilled in him an abiding love for the blue agave fields and all that they represent: the passionate dedication required to harvest the agave and transform it into hand-crafted tequila.

As a young boy, Mauricio eagerly spent his summers working alongside the jimadores in our family’s agave fields. Paid according to his production, Mauricio managed to reach the top pay level through sheer determination and raw ability. At age 10, he worked as a quality control assistant at the distillery, and two years later he worked as a loader in the factory. By age 15, Mauricio had a strong sense for business and began bottling and promoting his own tequila brand, Dos Amigos, before pursuing a university education.

After university studies in business, 22-year-old Mauricio grew our family’s Casa Camarena distillery (formerly named, Casa Tequilera Casco Viejo) where the production of our brand, Casco Viejo, grew to become the world’s fifth largest tequila brand. He became the brand’s National Sales Director for Mexico at age 25, and at age 30, he took the reigns over our family’s agave fields. That year, Mauricio married Adriana Cristina Plascencia Lopez; the couple now has five children.

Beyond family, agave and tequila, Mauricio’s enduring passion is horses. He began riding as a boy on his grandfather’s ranch, soaking in the impressive vistas of blue agave and cementing his love for the Los Altos Highlands of Jalisco. Today, Mauricio Camarena symbolizes our family’s legacy: dedication to the land, rich tradition and unparalleled craftsmanship in the art of tequila.

Familia Camarena Tequila, Alto Spirits LTD, Hayward, CA