[REPLAY] Pável Martínez, Sommelier🍷at Hotel La Casa de la Playa

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📢I talk🎙️with Pável Martínez, Sommelier 🍷 at Hotel La Casa de la Playa by Grupo Xcaret in Playa del Carmen.🍷 . 🎇 🎉 ✨ 👏😋 🥂

Pável has been in the restaurant 🍽️ business his whole career starting out as a Restaurant Supervisor at Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in Riveria Maya. Here, he met his mentor and got the wine bug which he carried through the rest of his career. He then managed restaurants and continued his sommelier work along the way.

He also became a professor 🍎 teaching other wine 🍷enthusiasts 😃 for 10 years and passed Level 2 Wine & Spirits from WSET.

I received some great insight into the Mexican beverage market and where they stand on Low & No Alc. I’m excited to follow the new types of agave spirits as they become more accessible in the US and to follow the progress of their wines as more and more investment is put behind these endeavors.

I enjoyed talking to Pavel and learning about his journey throughout the beverage industry. I also really enjoyed learning about the Mexican beverage market and I know you will too!

#wine #sommelier #fnbinnovation

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Transcript

00;00;02;29 - 00;00;35;04
Jessie
Welcome to Thursday, Thursdays at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. My name is Jesse. The host of this podcast, which is all about beverage innovation. I talk with innovation pioneers from agriculture to glass. This week I'm speaking with Pavel Martinez, Somalia at Hotel La Casa de la Playa by Grupo Zackery in Playa del Carmen. Pablo has been in the restaurant business his whole career, starting out as a restaurant supervisor at Rosewood Hotels and Resorts in Riviera maya.

00;00;35;06 - 00;01;00;16
Jessie
Here, he met his mentor and got the wine bug, which he carries through the rest of his career. He then managed restaurants to continue to Somalia, work along the way. He also became a professor teaching other wine enthusiasts for ten years and has his Level 2 Wine & Spirits from WSET. I received some great insight into the Mexican beverage market and where they stand on low and no-alc.

00;01;00;19 - 00;01;20;21
Jessie
I'm excited to follow the new types of agave spirits as they become more accessible in the U.S. and to follow the progress on their wines as more and more investment is put behind these endeavors. I enjoyed talking to Pavel and learning his journey throughout the beverage industry. I also really enjoyed learning about the Mexican beverage market, and I know you will too.

00;01;20;24 - 00;01;43;04
Jessie
Thank you for listening and be sure to subscribe to be notified of all new episodes. Hello everybody, and welcome to Thursday Thursdays at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. My name is Jesse Ott and I have Pavel Martinez here. Somalia at Hotel La Casa de la Playa by Grupo Xcaret. Did I say that right? Xcaret. Yeah, that's right.

00;01;43;04 - 00;02;14;05
Jessie
That S Oh, I'm so proficient. Just kidding. I do not speak much Spanish at all. Un poco. So how are you doing today Pablo? Pretty good, thank you. Thank you for the invitation to. Yeah, I know. I'm super excited. I can't wait to dig into your career and kind of what you're doing and some some of the trends that are happening in Mexico.

00;02;14;07 - 00;02;43;02
Jessie
So where are you calling from currently? Well, I'm currently Playa del Carmen in Mexico, so this is where I where I work. So how is the weather today? Kind of rainy actually is going to rain. It was raining since morning. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, wow. It's kind of unusual to be raining that long, isn't it? Yeah, it was very unusual.

00;02;43;02 - 00;03;14;03
Jessie
I think it's because some kind of a storm is coming. I saw the news and they just announced that a new storm is forming. There is probably. That's why. Oh, no, that's a bummer. Yeah. So, Pablo, where where are you from originally? Well, originally I'm from Mexico City. I. Okay. I was wondering 1974 there, so. Okay, I Olivo the 30 years of my life, I live in Mexico City.

00;03;14;03 - 00;03;37;02
Jessie
And then after that, I moved to some other places and I finally here in Quintana Roo, I play Playa del Carmen. So I haven't been to Mexico City, unfortunately, but I know that the people that have just absolutely love it and say it's a really beautiful city, a big, big city and a lot of things to see and do.

00;03;37;04 - 00;04;01;15
Jessie
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure. It's definitely on my bucket list to get to some time, but I would definitely want someone that could speak Spanish louder than me just for the ease of it. We went to Japan and we we wouldn't have been able to do half the things that we did without having native speakers plus people that live there.

00;04;01;17 - 00;04;25;05
Jessie
And it just kind of makes that experience a whole new level, you know, of of, you know, great news, I guess, for lack of a better word. But yeah, definitely it would be better to see a big city like that by a local. Oh, yeah. That's a there's some amazing vistas. If you come to Mexico, Mexico City, it's almost.

00;04;25;07 - 00;05;14;04
Jessie
Yeah, Yeah, for sure. So what got you into the business of, you know, food and beverage? Well, my, well, my career. I studied tourism and when I was finishing my studies, I went to do some practice. My internship was in a hotel. So that was the first time I got in contact with the food and beverage industry. I remember I have a chance to work for the bar and I was a bar back at that time and they gave me the role as of Aardvark, and that's when I started realizing that I there was something interesting about the beverage and bars and drinks and all this stuff.

00;05;14;07 - 00;05;42;07
Jessie
Yeah. So what kind of what was the school like? And you say tourism. Is it like managing? I mean, I guess I can you expand on that a little bit more? Yeah, it was, it is more like hospitality management and tourism. Okay. Hospitality. But mainly my, my, my specialty was on hospitality management. Okay, gotcha. Restaurants, hotels, that kind of thing.

00;05;42;09 - 00;06;06;17
Jessie
Uh huh. So yeah, that's what I and so forth. But they don't. Yes. And that was in Mexico City. Is that their schooling there too, I guess. Uh huh. But we're in Mexico City, and I remember this hotel was that the name of the hotel was Marquis Reforma Hotel. It was a boutique style hotel, and I started working in the bar.

00;06;06;17 - 00;06;33;24
Jessie
So that's when I started, like, getting into this world of beverage, of wine and all this things. Hm. So you got the bug early on? That happens a lot. Yeah, it does. It does happen a lot. I, I started. Well, I went and got my masters and then started in a restaurant. Then I got into the business because it was a lot easier to get a restaurant job than.

00;06;33;27 - 00;07;14;06
Jessie
Than, you know, a corporate job. But they're not an easier job by any means whatsoever. Just, you know, being on your feet, going up and down stairs, serving people, you know, breakfast, lunch and dinner sometimes in a day is really hard. And I was in my twenties. But yeah, there is a history that is very interesting. It is really fun if you if you really feel that sense of a passion for the service and for being behind, in my case, behind the bar and, and serving people, and then suddenly you realize that you like that part and that's what I'm still here.

00;07;14;06 - 00;07;42;24
Jessie
And this and this industry. Yeah. And it's interesting, too. You kind of evolve throughout different parts of the industry. So you said you started as a bar back at a hotel, a boutique hotel. Then where did you go from there? Well, I started there at the beginning and I started in this area and my goal was not really to be behind the bar because I wanted to be like on the reception department or a concierge front of the house.

00;07;42;27 - 00;07;51;26
Jessie
Those were my objectives at the beginning. But then I guess I had to do a lot of with my

00;07;51;27 - 00;08;11;23
Jessie
mentor, the person who was in charge of me, teaching me about the bar and the beverages that I really got interested in it then. And I must admit that the thanks to these old men, they I that's why I got really, really into it, because he really taught me a lot of things about that time.

00;08;11;23 - 00;08;41;24
Jessie
And I remember I wasn't even caring about the wine or anything to drink, but he wasn't one to really, really show me that there was history, there was culture. There was much more than just having a drink. And in every drink that you have at that time. Yeah. So it's interesting to how things have evolved and I'm so curious to know how the cocktail revolution kind of evolved in Mexico.

00;08;41;24 - 00;09;03;20
Jessie
I mean, you being in Mexico is a big city in Mexico. I don't know how many tourists you get there versus you know, where you're at now or I'm sure there's so many American tourists. You cater a lot to us in some ways. Do you remember what that cocktail culture was and when it kind of exploded? Was it was it in the nineties like it kind of was here or.

00;09;03;22 - 00;09;32;19
Jessie
Yeah, I guess it was kind of the 1980s. I started the my first job as a bar bartender was in 1995. And I remember that that was the the time when the cocktail is and this new evolving part of the cocktail and the bar and the cocktail bar is starting to grow in a different way here in Mexico.

00;09;32;21 - 00;10;12;11
Jessie
Before that, there was something like the the style, the old traditional style of the old cantinas in Mexico. This these old places where only men had access, that there was a really, really bad ambiance. Not really. It was not for everyone. I mean, and then suddenly the air, they started changing to this concept of the cocktail bar and make it more into some other kind of bars or simply wine bar and and yeah, I would say that, that after that 1980s 2000, that was when the this new industry of the bar in Mexico started growing up and developing into different ways.

00;10;12;14 - 00;10;56;27
Jessie
That's when I saw this big change also about how cocktails were made there. The offer, the new ingredients, the new brands of liqueurs that the enter to the Mexican market. That's when it suddenly started to grow in many different ways. Yeah, that's interesting. So what kind of experience do you have or what what type of culture are being, you know, behind the bar And in Mexico, does tequila play in in your culture but in the in the bars you worked at and then you personally I mean being that that's such a huge obviously a huge spirit coming from your country.

00;10;57;00 - 00;11;26;20
Jessie
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I mean, when when someone refers to Mexico and it's a drinker, immediately you think about tequila. Yes, that's for sure. That's right. Yeah. I mean, it's part of our quarter of our culture. Mexico has been the into this industry of the spirits industry, but basically mainly mainly on tequila. We know that, for example, it's been part of this tradition of drinking alcohol in Mexico.

00;11;26;23 - 00;11;59;19
Jessie
And when someone thinks about having a drink is pretty much tequila when you have to be the only option. And yeah, it still continues and does in that way. I mean, tequila has been always developing is an industry, you know, the Tequila three is always growing. I remember, for example, that when I was starting in this industry, in the bar industry in back in 1995, there were only like around 2000 different tequila.

00;11;59;22 - 00;12;31;27
Jessie
Sorry. Yeah, 200, 500 different tequila brand. And today we have around lot on the according to the last information, we have around 1200 different brands of tequila. So that's been wow I've been growing on this industry and yeah yeah it's part of it's part of the Mexican culture I mean so that's why all the time will continue until until the Mexican leaves, a role of tequila will be always there.

00;12;31;27 - 00;13;01;08
Jessie
I guess what has been you know, tequila is obviously the dominant agave spirit here, but there are other ones like so tall and, you know, mezcal. And I've just recently learned about Russia, which is probably one of the best things I've ever I've ever had. And in the spirit world, just because it's so different, there's nothing there's there's it's not different, but it's not the same as tequila either.

00;13;01;08 - 00;13;37;14
Jessie
It's very smooth and slightly different. Taste profile. What what have these other categories of these agave spirits played as a role besides tequila? Yeah. As you mentioned that the agave industry has also been growing. Mainly it was based first on tequila. But let's also remember that tequila belongs to this main category that in Mexico we consider mezcal. Michael is the big category that includes all the distilled spirits come from the agave plant.

00;13;37;17 - 00;14;08;11
Jessie
So tequila was the first one to start like this big and growing, and it was very popular. But besides, tequila can continue to be developed in some other areas in Mexico. And some of these specific areas they started producing more specific kind of spirit. And that's when you get these new denominations or these new specifications for some specific specific types of agave spirits.

00;14;08;14 - 00;14;35;23
Jessie
That's the case of an Canada, that's a case of salt. All right. See, so yeah, almost every party in Mexico where you can find Agaves now you can find all these categories, mescal as the main category. And that is also been growing in popularity in the last couple of years. But then suddenly also this is all a production, so it's not all I can order iced tea and some other more specific.

00;14;35;26 - 00;15;04;12
Jessie
It started also entering into the market. I guess I can that that's a good thing for the Mexican industry that they've ever seen this through because it opens a new panorama, a new or a new universe of drinks for all these like obvious spirits because. Yeah, yeah, usually we were centered only on tequila, but then suddenly we have five, six, seven different now types of agave spirits that are getting attention, that are increasing in quality.

00;15;04;14 - 00;15;34;27
Jessie
And now you can find very, very good expressions of the agave in this particular drinks. Like I mentioned, the one that you mentioned, that the use is growing. So all in the country in the north part of Mexico, in the south, we have a comet decal. We have some other a agave spirits. Well, that's exciting. I know that one of my previous guest, Claire Warner, she's spent a lot of time on the on premise and understanding the culture, cocktail culture.

00;15;34;27 - 00;15;52;16
Jessie
And she's with I don't know if you've ever heard of tales of the cocktail that's done here every year in New Orleans. But she's really on the pulse of what's coming and that one of the one of the key categories that she picked was the agave. Spirits are growing outside of that, just tequila. And there's a lot of growth there here, too.

00;15;52;16 - 00;16;12;08
Jessie
So I'm very excited to kind of dig my heels in in the next year and really get involved and do whatever I can to help those categories grow, because I think that's really exciting and there's a lot of growth opportunity. You have so many people here that just love tequila. I mean, it's you have people here that just love beer.

00;16;12;08 - 00;16;34;17
Jessie
I mean, yeah, you know what I mean? Like, but, but there are people that and they, they really love the stories and can really get into the brand and and what's behind the brand and the people and the distillers and whatnot. So I really think there's a big future here. We've also had some big celebrity brands which have really helped catapult that category.

00;16;34;19 - 00;16;58;05
Jessie
Yeah, like, you know, with George Clooney and the Rock and whatnot. But the thing of it is, is that they stood behind quality and that made it big. That makes a big difference. Yeah, certainly. But yeah, as you mentioned, it is a category. They gave experience but they were is growing is being developed in so many different ways.

00;16;58;05 - 00;17;31;16
Jessie
As you mentioned, probably some brands are getting the attention of some famous people from other countries. Even from here in Mexico, they are getting support from artists and musicians, but it's is what it always skewers with their some marketing brands are entering. You start producing a lot of the product, but the quality starts going down and I would say that these producers, the traditional producers of these, like our spirits in Mexico, are trying to protect that part.

00;17;31;19 - 00;18;00;07
Jessie
And in order to keep the quality of the products, they prefer now to start producing, to keep the small productions in order to maintain the quality and not to enter into these big leaks to market and to sell more. But the quality, of course, will be the limit. Know where quality? Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm anxious to learn about these other categories now because when you think about Russia, they have.

00;18;00;07 - 00;18;36;16
Jessie
Yes, they have more types of agave spirit agaves that they can they can use, but they have to be grown in a specific area. And there's only I think it's 16 cities or areas that can be versus like five states like like, you know, the the Weber, the Gaby, whatever. So I'm interested to dig in and see what these other categories are and what their rules are around it, because I think that's going to be a major challenge in trying to communicate what those are to at least the American side.

00;18;36;18 - 00;19;22;10
Jessie
We know tequila very, very, very well. It's the other categories. Mezcal has also done pretty well, too. I still think it's a little bit misunderstood and and could needs more clarification of education. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah that's a point it it's more education about these animals. I mean they are not new they really and always been produced in Mexico but right tequila definition and that's why so many people around the world and American people, European people, they only think that tequila is the only that the spirit that is produced in Mexico, the the the know the tradition that history goes into these older agave spirits and then tequila was the one really thought that.

00;19;22;12 - 00;19;44;23
Jessie
But yeah, I mean the people needs to get beer, they get education and there's new spirits. So for example, at the hotel where I work, we offer these tequila, they sing them as they sing. And the agave experience tastings where we include Canada. Soto All right. See, yeah. In order to compare for the guest and understand what the difference between tequila, what's the difference with this?

00;19;44;23 - 00;20;05;19
Jessie
God was a difference. So tall, etc.. So basically that's what a great experience, huh? I mean, the people like that to me. And that's why we are focused on, on this. This tasting is because of the way we promote their their traditional brands, the brother that is producing in a traditional way and other going only with the marketing.

00;20;05;19 - 00;20;39;10
Jessie
And on these big marks of galas and tequila still dominate the world. Yeah. So going back again in 1995, we started getting behind the bar, mixing up cocktails, serving wines and stuff. So what was what happened after that? Well, after that, I really got into the bar. I became a bartender. I had to learn a lot of recipes, the cocktails and and and that's one that's really intimidating.

00;20;39;13 - 00;21;16;22
Jessie
Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is. It is. It is. You know that being behind the bar, you have to learn a lot of stuff there about that and have speed and. Uh huh, you have to be. It's a skill. Yeah, there's a it is a very interesting game because you have to develop so many things on your skills. I mean, personally, I think always that's what I always love is profession because it made me realize that I was more than capable to do all these things at the same time.

00;21;16;22 - 00;21;43;13
Jessie
Yeah. And it was really interesting to see the results that people got really thankful with me about the service I was providing and and the quality of my dreams. And I. I mean, you felt like this feedback from the customer and you realize that you're doing a great job and yeah after does I think yeah I start realizing that it was my it was going to be my profession because I really like the service.

00;21;43;13 - 00;22;07;11
Jessie
I really like to be behind the bar. But then I started also entering into the wine world because I started also working for a wine bar at some point. And at the beginning I was like, Oh my God, the way that people drink wine is so all these awful time. I had a glass of wine, but I still remember I almost puke because it was intense.

00;22;07;11 - 00;22;28;06
Jessie
It was sour. I mean, all the things, you know, like what they were they don't like glass of wine. Tell us which brand it was. I don't remember. But yeah, it was. It was about the experience. The first time I had a glass of wine and it was a red wine that it was I as I were, I mean all the things.

00;22;28;09 - 00;22;48;04
Jessie
So. But, but, but after that I also start getting this advice from the person that I work in this bar. They started showing me how was a real and in the correct way to start also drinking wine. And he mentioned me. I remember. See him later. No, no, no. You're you're doing it wrong. You should start with something.

00;22;48;04 - 00;23;13;08
Jessie
Lead with something easy, something kind of sweet. And then after that, you. Your palate will start developing and will start asking you for more intense flavors. Yeah. I mean, I also started getting into this world of wine. I realized also that it was a very interesting drink with a lot of history, culture. And I really like this also this this feel of the wine world.

00;23;13;08 - 00;23;42;26
Jessie
And and that's when I started also becoming a sommelier. And that's still in Mexico City. Yeah. I'm my first course to become a similar to was in Mexico City. Yeah back in it was 2001 2002. I guess that's when I started starting to become a sommelier. So can you explain to us a little bit about the wine culture in Mexico?

00;23;42;26 - 00;24;14;28
Jessie
I've been there before. We talked just a just a minute about this before we started the podcast, but I was very impressed with the wines. I feel like it's a little bit maybe like Texas, where they don't make enough to really send it outside of Texas because it's the volume is enough for the state. So I don't see a lot of exports or anything like that, but the quality is certainly there and it's pretty I mean, I'd love to have more disposable, more wines from Mexico at my disposal.

00;24;15;01 - 00;24;48;03
Jessie
It would be really fun. Yeah, that's as you mentioned, wine industry in Mexico is also developing. We we consider here in Mexico that the boom started in 1986 when this wine, this winery located in California in Guadalupe, it's called Monte Saanich this and it was the first winery producing high quality wine before today. And wine in Mexico was really, really bad, really shitty.

00;24;48;03 - 00;25;15;25
Jessie
I mean, and the companies that they wineries that were these wine was only the market wasn't. And they all need to sell volume, not quality. So yeah you could find some wineries and make the wine was really below label until 1986. Yeah. These wineries they the owners they say And you know what? The terroir, the weather we have the soil there, the graves that we have, we can do something better.

00;25;15;27 - 00;25;42;13
Jessie
And that's when they started this project of Monte Saanich and they created what we consider the first high quality wine in Mexico. And after that, yeah, some of their winegrowers wineries have started looking at this model and this new model of the high quality wine, and they start reproducing it. They started also changing their their minds. It starts they stop just producing wine to sales amounts and not quality.

00;25;42;15 - 00;26;07;01
Jessie
And they realize that the new focus was on quality and not only the big amounts of wine. And so then basically that was the 1980s. They knew a lot of new wineries that are appearing in this area via the Guadalupe is the main wine region in Mexico and Canada around and today we we considered around 80% of all the wines produced in Mexico come from this specific region.

00;26;07;03 - 00;26;35;14
Jessie
And then we saw some some other states, though they also they started producing wine. So currently we have 14 estate, 15 estates now that produce wine in Mexico. So yeah, the industry has been developing and as you mentioned, the quality is also increasing. We have had this, how do you say we receive a lot of the immigrants from Italy, from Spain at different points in the history of Mexico.

00;26;35;14 - 00;26;56;19
Jessie
So these persons, these people that came with the knowledge of how to make wine, good wine in their countries, in their original countries, that they also abroad these knowledge to the Mexican wine industry. And that's why we now have very high quality wines up to compete in some international countries. And and we can see maybe you see the reviews on some Mexican wineries.

00;26;56;22 - 00;27;29;21
Jessie
They are very good wines right now. Yeah. I was going to ask you if there's any major partnerships because, you know, a lot of times different winemakers from France or California or Oregon or wherever will collaborate with, you know, another winery in another country. You know, is there any is that happening there at all or. Yeah, there are some projects basically in this area, but it's another there's some wineries from Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley in in California.

00;27;29;24 - 00;28;05;19
Jessie
They are also trying to start projects, investing in some wineries in Mexico, for example. So, I mean, this is not something new. I remember that at some point in history. James Concannon, for example, was one of the first on ologist and winemakers that brought some technology also to Mexico to start producing wine in in quality way. And since then we've been having this this support from the different people that there makes wine in different countries.

00;28;05;21 - 00;28;38;27
Jessie
So yeah, I think that's a thing. But it's also promoting the the, the new wineries that are intending into high quality wines that is this how do you say this collaboration between the wineries from other countries and the wine near wineries makes more sense. For example. So what are the major grape varietals that are produced there and is it more is it mostly red or is it mostly white, or is it kind of a mix?

00;28;38;29 - 00;29;16;25
Jessie
Mainly mainly in the Mexican wine industry is based on red wine, this area and the one that I mentioned and then so now they buy. Yeah. While lupine basically you can find as main grapes and the ones that are being developed into a big market we have Tempranillo for example Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. I mean those are I think those three grapes out of leader that they have the leadership wine industry in Mexico, in some other states, for example, in the central part of Mexico is more into white wines and sparkling wines, for example also.

00;29;16;28 - 00;29;48;13
Jessie
So yeah, we can find some Sauvignon blanc and in Cava style sparkling wines. Yeah, but mainly, mainly the main market is say, on red wine. So is this something that your hotel that you work at now, do they have a mexican wine section where they sell different bottles? Yeah, actually. Well, this hotel that I work, they are Casa de la Playa from Grupo Scott.

00;29;48;13 - 00;30;12;15
Jessie
It probably I don't know if you have heard about that. It's got this a big park that is located in the Riviera area but they grow with the parks and now they open three hotels. There are three hotels that belong to the group. This current group is so what illustrated Mexico what they look at it are thing and the one that I work for is Hotel Casa de la Playa.

00;30;12;16 - 00;30;41;19
Jessie
Why you got it? And the idea of this concept of the hotels is to promote the Mexican wine culture. So for example, in my in my hotel we have they all fine inclusive wines, the ones that I included and and we have a selection of 24 different wine labels exclusively from Mexican wineries. So the our guests they enter to their wine cellar and they can choose the bottle of wine they want.

00;30;41;19 - 00;31;05;24
Jessie
They they can just take it, they get through the room or they can open the bottle of wine there at the wine cellar. So basically that is a concept to promote and makes wines. So yeah, we have our plane installation of a we have nine different styles of red wines, eight different styles. So white wines, four different styles of roses, four different styles of sparkling wines, all of them from Mexico and even sweet wines.

00;31;05;29 - 00;31;33;16
Jessie
These are wine. Nice some. Is there wine to. Oh, nice. Some like a white like the white desert wine or. Yeah, we have I leave out of his wine and then a sweet when they harvest. Oh yeah. Hmm. I didn't know that. I didn't know that you had sparkling. And I certainly would have never guessed that you had a late harvest wines.

00;31;33;19 - 00;32;02;23
Jessie
That's great. Yeah, it interesting. Mexico's been developing the wine industry, and we are experimenting with so many different styles as Mexico doesn't have a regulation like seeing some countries in Europe or some other areas that have the nation of origin. Basically, Mexico can do whatever the wine and the wine in the style of wines, and that's the way we can find a lot of different styles in Mexico.

00;32;02;25 - 00;32;36;24
Jessie
So it looks like you were also taught about wine Universidad, Ana de Cancun Sorry, I butchered that one. Yeah, I thought, yeah, that's that's my second job. I'm a teacher also. I'm a professor. We then always have about wines, about us in general. I also had the chance to to start teaching to the new gastronomy students or there tourism students in in these universities.

00;32;36;26 - 00;33;28;23
Jessie
And that's also part of what I do. That's another profession that I have to be a teacher in the university. So yeah, I have the chance to teach about wines, about cocktails, about the mixology of their beverage world. So for the new generation, wow, that's really impressive that you have that you can do all that. Wow. Fantastic. So can you talk a little bit about I don't know how much you hear over here of knowing low and the the younger generations are wanting to drink less with less alcohol and the wine categories dip in and mocktails are TD's are kind of picking up as well as just spirit based drinks in general.

00;33;28;25 - 00;33;58;06
Jessie
Is that happening in Mexico too? Are you seeing any of the same trends there? Yeah, I certainly, yeah. As you mentioned, it is a trend that is I mean, I think is getting like globally around the world and Mexico is also getting into this these new concepts over. For example, I just saw a bar in Cancun that is called Bar zero making reference to the all the selection of cocktails and drinks they have are with no alcohol.

00;33;58;08 - 00;34;31;04
Jessie
So yeah, I mean, yeah, it's happening here. Yeah. And also the brands that we can find now, some brands of wine, some brands of spirits are starting into this nonalcoholic beverages category. So yeah, I mean Mexico is also getting into that. So do you see that happening in the agave spirit world? There was some of the producers in Mexico were I, I mean, maybe not.

00;34;31;06 - 00;34;56;02
Jessie
I don't know. I think I mean, but I see this is from the point that I'm also a teacher and I understand how the history of alcohol and how the history of alcoholic beverage have been developed into a thousand years of human history. And now we suddenly say, Oh, no, you know what, let's do something without alcohol. Okay, so what's the point?

00;34;56;04 - 00;35;22;13
Jessie
You better tell it when you drink a bottle of something that. But why? Why do you have to affect that tradition that is being done during the centuries? I mean, and yeah, that's my personal point of view because I think these categories of nonalcoholic wines, nonalcoholic experience is senseless. I mean, it's meaningless. I don't know. I know. I think it's a tendency.

00;35;22;13 - 00;35;48;04
Jessie
Yes. But I hopefully it won't last for many years. I mean, for example, here in Mexico, like at least here in Mexico, we see some brands of these new nonalcoholic spirits, but they are more expensive, even more expensive than the original spirits. So that's something that is not very. How does a contract like to have a future? Yeah.

00;35;48;06 - 00;36;11;29
Jessie
So I mean, that's something that I think I guess we are just not understanding that drinks that they alcoholic drinks is a category that should be respected like that. And yeah there's a category of nonalcoholic drinks out there. I mean we have plenty of options and we can do something for the specific market that the why to try and get into this project.

00;36;11;29 - 00;36;47;23
Jessie
So it's like having a tequila with non alcohol or a mescal. And I think that would be something that again our our main culture in Mexico, I mean yeah I mean I get it it makes, it makes total sense. But what, what they're saying is that because there's so many more and more people not not electing to drink or can't drink that they're losing money in and your venue for not offering it, because if they're going to drink, you know a soda or just water, you can upcharge them by offering these.

00;36;47;23 - 00;37;15;10
Jessie
But yes, from a cultural standpoint, I hadn't really thought about it that way. I don't know why. I guess because we're so trained on thinking of, you know, the cash part of it versus so much of the cultural side of it. But that makes total sense. I mean, you're right. There's a lot of, you know, several thousand years that we've we've you know, people have spent, you know, generations after generations on how to get it just right and perfect and perfected it and smooth it out and make it.

00;37;15;10 - 00;37;45;15
Jessie
But, you know, so I totally, totally get that. There is certainly still two sides to the story. And I personally don't see it going away just because of, you know, these younger kids. They're not as interested as as we were. I think pot has taken over their whole brain and, you know, has kind of been more of a force to reckon then then.

00;37;45;18 - 00;38;11;26
Jessie
And I could be wrong. I mean, that's just some experiences that I've seen and I've had. But but yeah, I don't know. The answer is but you know, I totally get it. Yeah. I mean as you mentioned, yeah. It is a tendency I, I also recognize other people is asking more and more for these kind of new drinks with alcohol but at some point yeah.

00;38;11;26 - 00;38;42;16
Jessie
I mean I don't know, I, I don't see a lot of future on this, but hopefully it would be like that. I know the examples for example, these new category of tequila. Now about getting back to tequila, the crystalline of tequila. This is not is not an official category yet but suddenly appearing to the market this honor for tequila that you filtered out and tequila in order to get a clear like white silver tequila again.

00;38;42;16 - 00;39;02;27
Jessie
Why should I do that? I mean, why, why why should I spend a of time putting that they get into a barrel and they're getting all the flavors and all the characteristics of a nine year hot tequila. And then suddenly they just decided to filter anything that way with the caller, get away with so many aromatic and they're flavoring elements.

00;39;02;29 - 00;39;35;12
Jessie
But if you see the market now, it is a new category that is growing and growing, growing in popularity right now. Mexico, we we have a tequila category that is being sold more saying the last couple of years is a Kristalina Tequila, though. I mean, that's another I wonder why what's marketing behind that? Yeah, I mean the main the main idea was to focus on this new generation, these new young people that they were they wanted to have the characteristics of a tequila.

00;39;35;12 - 00;40;08;04
Jessie
Well, without having all these powerful or all these elements of an aged tequila house. And then, yeah, some company just decided, okay, let's filter the tequila and you have a new product. And now he's the most popular brand of tequila or category that is growing officially is not recognized yet by their by their Mexican laws, but the is there the probably in the couple of years it will be added to the category of the the official category of tequila the KRISTALINA.

00;40;08;06 - 00;40;30;18
Jessie
But yeah and that's another example how new trends in the Mexican market that are changing the specific categories and the specific types of tequilas in mascaras and all I got was period so that we have right now. Yeah, that's really interesting. We do have krystalina here. I don't know what the percentages and I don't know how big it is.

00;40;30;18 - 00;40;56;19
Jessie
There is one producer that has it that has a great crystalline no, that I've tried and, but you know, for me I'm a little sensitive so even I love bourbon, but it kind of upsets me in anything aged upsets me a little bit more than anything. BLANCO So I didn't know if there is maybe, you know, the filtration was kind of a cleaner product.

00;40;56;19 - 00;41;16;14
Jessie
So that you wouldn't it wouldn't affect people as much. But I, I don't know the answer to that. Yeah. I mean, that's what I think is kind of sadly is again why you said I spend so many time putting my my pill into a barrel, wait for three, five, ten years and then suddenly say, okay, let's filter anything.

00;41;16;14 - 00;41;48;12
Jessie
Yeah. Like we, we the is everything. But yeah, I mean it's the tendency in the market there now and the example is there, there are a lot of tequila brands and now they, they lounge they are Selena categories now and you can find in Mexico now. Hmm it's interesting it's caught on fire there. I'm just so interested into why Yeah very interesting.

00;41;48;12 - 00;42;16;29
Jessie
So when I've I've been to Europe and I don't remember the last year it's been a few years and they just don't have the selection that we do here. You know, when you go into a bar and in the United States there's 20 vodkas, 50 bourbons, the 30 tequilas, you know, I'm exaggerating, but we have a very wide selection of, you know, a specific type of of spirit.

00;42;17;02 - 00;42;43;28
Jessie
And when you go over to to France, for example, it's like, what? What kind? Evocative. And it's it's like, yeah, we have absolute, which is fine. It's just such it's so different. And so when we went to Japan, it was very much the same. But the culture of everything there for me when it comes to food and beverage is different because they have some bistros, right?

00;42;43;28 - 00;43;10;03
Jessie
Where they have some cocktails and some, you know, burgers and whatever. But moment mainly what we saw were was if you had you have restaurants and they serve saké or beer or maybe a highball, that's it. Unless you go to a cocktail bar specifically and then then they have a plethora of whatever brands that they have. So I'm curious, what is it like in Mexico?

00;43;10;03 - 00;43;42;09
Jessie
Is it closer to what we have here in the US versus of France or Europe? Yeah, I guess Mexico are always the main market for Mexico for them. For tourism, for example, is US and Canada. So most of these concept of bars that we have in Mexico are adapted to these guests come from American and North America. I mean, so yeah, basically I would say is the same the idea that you share in America.

00;43;42;12 - 00;44;04;24
Jessie
Here in Mexico right now, we have been developing these new concepts so far with new mixology, trying to get back into their roots. They started using a lot of pros that had been industrialized. And now you have these options of more natural flavors, more natural products that are being the also being produced by the same by our bartenders.

00;44;04;26 - 00;44;47;03
Jessie
Instead of using simple sirup that you make now your simple zero instead of using another, I don't know, liqueur or an infusion that once once was holding a bottle, now you can just make it. So that's I guess that's a tendency in Mexico, the new industry in in cocktails and the bar cocktails are changing this idea of just producing the the old style cocktails using these colorful and very attractive cocktails with a lot of chemicals in the liqueurs in the in some products you have a new dependency on natural products.

00;44;47;06 - 00;45;13;08
Jessie
So I guess that's something that is happening in so many bars around the world. Yeah. So do you have any mentors that you want to talk about that kind of have helped you along the way? I know you've kind of mentioned you had one when you were a bar back and kind of teaching you the ropes and getting you kind of inclination into the into the hospitality well side of things.

00;45;13;11 - 00;45;32;09
Jessie
As I mentioned when I was working and when I was to starting as a buyer, I, I remember very, very well this old man that he was the one that really started sharing that passion about making cocktails. I still remember that the first time I entered to the bar, I saw him and he was like, Oh my God, who are you?

00;45;32;09 - 00;45;50;21
Jessie
Why? Why? Why are you here, baby? Well, he was like, I need to go to the party, right? And I was like, okay, I'm I'm trying to learn, so please explain what to do. But he was an old style man. So every time he was making a cocktail and I was like, trying to get into that to see why that was, he was boring.

00;45;50;21 - 00;46;25;23
Jessie
Whether he was making the cocktail, he always said, Oh, no, you know, why would gave me somebody to go get me something? But he really allowed me to see what he was doing. Yeah, he was very, very I mean close to the share of the knowledge about how to make cocktails. But the and slowly I started. I started like, being so incisive and trying to see and asking questions because I start, like, liking this process of making a cocktail or, or seeing all the different styles of liqueurs and bottles.

00;46;25;25 - 00;46;48;10
Jessie
And then I started asking him a lot of questions, and at some point, I guess he he understood that I really wanted to learn. And I wasn't just spending my time there and then that's when he started like, okay, you want to learn? Okay. Yeah. And one the one thing that I remember a lot is that he brought his old recipe, cocktail recipe book.

00;46;48;12 - 00;47;12;05
Jessie
It was a very old book, and he gave it to me and he said, Oh, wow. So yeah, I still remember that I lot because I was really good for me because after seeing it, his fear, his reaction that he was not very friendly with me. But at some point I got his attention and he realized that I really wanted to learn.

00;47;12;08 - 00;47;40;18
Jessie
And yeah, he came. One day he brought me all the recipe cocktails and he said, This is for you. The problem is you have to learn. You have to study because I'm going to ask you tomorrow if you learn one cocktail, what is the recipe? Why the what is the technique? And yeah, I guess this old man was the one that really, really has a lot of influence in my learning process about cocktails and all these things about the bar.

00;47;40;20 - 00;48;17;18
Jessie
I, I remember his name was Memo They all you get them when we say memo in this like the sort of the sort of the name and I just knew that I, I just knew that like the seven years ago that he passed away. So yeah, I mean, oh yeah, he was a something else, but I kept in touch with him there too, after working in this bar and I then I finished my, my internship there and then I got a new job, but I always kept contact with him.

00;48;17;21 - 00;48;38;25
Jessie
And then when I received the news that he passed away, it was a big, big aha moment for me. Yeah, Yeah. I'm sorry to hear that. That's cool. It's cool to have someone so early in your career kind of influence You like that and how you kind of had to win him over. It makes it that much more special.

00;48;38;27 - 00;49;12;22
Jessie
Yeah, because you guys really bonded now. Because after that you can I. I also have more with so many people that are there. Where are you? They were they were very professional. So I was also I'm very passionate about the bartending and cocktail making. But but I mean, definitely in my personal experience of that was him the person that really, really made me see my point of view and deciding to get into this area of being a bartender.

00;49;12;24 - 00;49;39;03
Jessie
Yeah, that's awesome. Do you have any other mentors that you that you had along the way that you want to mention or any other any resources that you want to share? Yeah, well, another person as a sommelier because yeah, when I became I so many, I also I got these mentorship from my I gained an all sommelier and all of a very respected somebody here in Mexico, one of the first sommeliers that existed in Mexico.

00;49;39;06 - 00;50;10;18
Jessie
So based upon, say, his name is Dom Davis. He's an old man now and I in yeah he when I started this this idea of becoming a sommelier at that time in Mexico, there were just a few sommeliers out there. They started eating. They started creating these schools to become sommeliers in Mexico. And yeah, I fortunately had this chance to meet him and to take classes with him.

00;50;10;21 - 00;50;31;04
Jessie
And I and he got me into this passion of, oh, the wine and, and all the knowledge. And, and, and I at some point I said, I want to be like him. I mean, I want to be like sommelier, like him. And yeah, I guess that's another person that I had a lot of influence in the decision that I took to become a somebody.

00;50;31;04 - 00;51;08;17
Jessie
And then after that, that's great. Is there any resources or any anything that you recommend? You know, I don't know if it's studying for your, you know, your tests or, you know, whatever whatever sticks out in your mind? Yeah, I'm in there as a teacher around right now, as I mentioned, I also have to provide the of this references of this with this developing over the Internet and all these elements that we have right now to study by ourselves.

00;51;08;20 - 00;51;46;13
Jessie
There's a lot of new patients, a very interesting basis, for example, in the way that they bid for the guy, for example. That's another one that I recommend. They have a lot of good information about cocktails, about history of the culture, the liquor industry, the dance of the cocktails, as you mentioned. And that's another element of that. It's also very interesting to follow this developing how these the the events that they make in order to create this attraction to the culture war is also very interesting.

00;51;46;15 - 00;52;17;09
Jessie
And I mean, there's a lot of other things around the liqueurs down there, the spirits industry. Every time I had the chance to talk my benders to some specific person that they are in this industry over on the on the other side. No, no. They're on the making better on they were ones that sell the product. That's also interesting to know how they also propose different schools different than how to say courses about spirits, about cocktails.

00;52;17;11 - 00;52;49;25
Jessie
There's a big company here in Mexico, for example, that is called Pedro Dominique Pedro. The Hassan School is specifically intended to bartenders or people, a bartender, also Diageo, that's another big company that offers a lot of courses, a lot of material for bartenders, cocktail bars. And on the wine side, yeah, I mean, there's a lot of new reference now in the in the way of wine quality, for example.

00;52;49;25 - 00;53;21;15
Jessie
It's a it's a reference that I used all the ways and I recommend to my students the wine quality web page and the book. And they also have a book. And I mean, yeah, I think we have a lot of resources now to is starting to learn about drinks and beverages and cocktails and wines and everything. My guest last week and this week is Chris Scott, and he and his wife started a W set training course and I love.

00;53;21;15 - 00;53;47;08
Jessie
Their materials are inexpensive for the quality that you get and you have it for like a year or two. And that really helped me pass. I did a level three wine over during COVID and those resources really helped me for sure solidify a lot of my knowledge. So I know how important those resources are to, you know, from an educational standpoint.

00;53;47;11 - 00;54;16;13
Jessie
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true. There's a lot of the material now. So what are the main pain points that you experience down there in Mexico? I know you're kind of more of the on premise, you know, perspective, but is there too much competition? Is that your price wars? What is like some points you experience down there? I mean definitely.

00;54;16;13 - 00;54;47;06
Jessie
I mean because of the economic situation here in Mexico is very different from American the America U.S. kind of I think the main pain point I would mention is about salaries. Yeah, I guess that's the main thing because, yeah, many people that I work in this industry, in the food and beverage industry, at some point they decided to leave this industry because money is not enough decent enough, they are not making enough money.

00;54;47;08 - 00;55;14;16
Jessie
So I think that's the biggest fear here in Mexico. There's I have met a lot of the bartenders, sommeliers, even sommeliers, the the suddenly you realize they prefer to sell departments or do something else because they are not making money in this industry. But due to the lack of interest of the big companies to pay a corresponding salary to their workers.

00;55;14;18 - 00;55;51;00
Jessie
That's I think that's the main point to make because yeah, you have all the attitude to make a good job, but suddenly you realize that your your, your employer is just paying the minimum wage or the minimum amount and you say, okay, what should I do? And I mean I mean, I think that's the main thing on the on this in general and the food and beverage industry, there's a lot of people that is interested in working in this industry, but that's some point that they're working one or two years, they realize that they are not making money.

00;55;51;03 - 00;56;16;19
Jessie
And yeah, it's the same here. It's it's tough. And then with the increased cost of living, it just makes it even harder. So there's I think that's a struggle that we have here in the U.S. as well. You know, the I don't know what the system is like there, but here they pay you a certain hourly wage and then you really kind of bank on the tips.

00;56;16;19 - 00;56;39;28
Jessie
So I don't know if that's the same in Mexico. Yeah, basically the same way most of the workers on there for them, every industry, the ones that are directly connected to service, they depend on tips. They leave them there because the salaries just are just something Mexico. I mean, it's not even enough to pay their rent or to pay your expenses.

00;56;40;00 - 00;57;08;23
Jessie
So they're yeah, they rely on tips on that from the customers, from the guest. And then that's another thing. Also, there's a lot of by administrations on how restaurants how hotels charge big is for the tips or the service but then you realize that all this amount of money when they pay to they get to the employee, they just give you a little amount and and then the rest where is.

00;57;08;25 - 00;57;37;12
Jessie
So yeah, that's a big issue. I mean, as there are a strict regulations in Mexico on this feel of the food and beverage industry, that's why many, many businesses make a lot of bad things. According to the payments on on the staff. Yeah, I don't know what the answer is there, but it's certainly certainly a problem here, too.

00;57;37;15 - 00;58;06;16
Jessie
What what is what do you feel like the trends are coming or anything new coming up through your eyes and your experience where you were, you're at all kind of talk about the tequila trends. So is there anything else that I mean, are RTDs big there the base or spirit based? Yeah, Yeah, I guess that's another and another trend in Mexico.

00;58;06;19 - 00;58;33;22
Jessie
Yeah, I mean, the first one would be the the agave spirits because it has having a boom in the last couple of years. But then you have also this tendency on whiskey for example, on single malt whiskey. I have seen a lot of growing on this market of the single malt whiskey industry and I guess that's also another good trend there on the Mexican market for spirits, I guess.

00;58;33;22 - 00;58;58;21
Jessie
I mean, I guess also the the tendency on going into more traditional things from other parts of the world, as you mentioned, for example, socket. So it you know, those are tendencies are also growing. There are some hotels here in this area of Riviera maya that are looking specifically for professionals inside care professional and scene. So true because they are bringing this these products to Mexico.

00;58;58;23 - 00;59;28;10
Jessie
So I guess, yeah, that's a rather interesting tendency to to start also thinking about what the spirits what fermented beverage exists in in some other countries, in some other parts of the world. And there are getting attention and now they are bringing these tendencies into Mexico for for example, in the fermented beverages, this kombucha, the kombucha tendency became really nice also in them, in the cocktail bars in Mexico here, too.

00;59;28;13 - 00;59;51;15
Jessie
So, yeah, I guess people these are also looking for this. Their customers are looking for these new experiences on on trying something different. It's not not the use the spirit that you find everywhere but the let me know about something. It is perceived as something that is not really common. That's a tendency that is growing in, I guess.

00;59;51;17 - 01;00;13;06
Jessie
So do you have I know you're on premise person, but do you have wine and a can wine and Tetras do you have them wine in a box like in your retail stores? Is that an option? There is a starting those two old grow AM is not really being accepted as a priority in some other markets around the world.

01;00;13;09 - 01;00;48;06
Jessie
We have seen this not very prominent the developing on this kind of brothers of gay Weinstein, Tetra Pak or wines in Cannes. But is there I mean at some point we will have also to realize that the the glass industry and all these things about pollution and yeah I mean that's kind of the carbon footprint of yeah, at some point at some point we will have to change into these new forms to, uh, to, to sell wine or any specific and alcoholic drink.

01;00;48;08 - 01;01;13;23
Jessie
Yeah, but there are now, now you can find can wine in cans and that's a pipe. Yeah. But they are not like really, really getting good at it. Yeah. I'm surprised especially in, in the beach areas that they wouldn't be a little bit bigger. But it is a cultural thing, you know, to your point, different different cultures are going to adapt to it differently.

01;01;13;25 - 01;01;43;20
Jessie
Yeah, definitely. And here in Mexico, all this generation, like for example, in my age, that it's almost impossible to see wine inside like I can, I mean, is like, oh my God, the way happening in the world. But no, I mean, it's a tendency we have to adapt these new processes of changing things about respecting their the, the, the ambiance and not getting into these pollution effects.

01;01;43;22 - 01;02;10;06
Jessie
And yeah, I mean, yeah. So there is sometimes, I mean, probably in the short term we will see these changes also will be more acceptable in Mexico to so outside of the the beverage industry, what, what do you like to do. What is your do you like play music, You travel, Do you run by bike. What is it?

01;02;10;08 - 01;02;43;19
Jessie
Oh, well, basically I spend time with my family. I mean, I have my wife and my three kids and yeah, I have a chance to have their, you know, I try to be my family dog because everyone has their own lives almost done. It is difficult to inside at some point of the whole family, you know. But yeah, I like to I like to read I like to watch the TV, some of the specific programs about wines of the I'm in general culture, about their beverage.

01;02;43;22 - 01;03;09;23
Jessie
I like to see this, uh, documentaries on I have a my, my library about barrels and wine, and I to play to, for example. Yeah. That's another thing I either like nice. Never learned it. I just can't do it. Does it work? Does your wife enjoy wine and spirits like you do? Does she watch those documentaries with you?

01;03;09;25 - 01;03;31;24
Jessie
No, not really. That's. That's what I. Maybe not for a long time, because we are not equal. Yeah. I mean, she likes to go in the. We have I go out then we have a glass of wine or when I brought a bottle of wine and she only has one glass, two glasses. She's not, not more into it like I do and know it's okay.

01;03;31;24 - 01;04;03;09
Jessie
It's a good balance. She had to had some the that hey, you can't be perfect all the time. Be perfect but yeah I mean she supports to all the things I do and she's my biggest support then Yeah but I have to teach her also how to drink wine and how to drink different sides of. That's awesome. That is so cool.

01;04;03;11 - 01;04;34;23
Jessie
Well, Pavel, this has been really fun and a really great experience. I really appreciate you taking the time to to talk to me and letting us hear your story and your insights into the. The beverage industry in the Mexican market has been really interesting. So thank you. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me. Yeah, of course. I'm always curious of different people's outlook and you know how they got to how they got in the business and why and different people.

01;04;34;23 - 01;04;58;21
Jessie
Because I think along the way, different people have mentors or people that have influence, certain things that kind of encourage them, you know, to keep going. Kind of like what your story with your mentor, uh, and yeah, I just I love it. Thank you so much. This has been really fun. Now, next time we're going to have to have some Mexican wines and talk to Mexican wine.

01;04;58;22 - 01;05;24;10
Jessie
This. Yeah. Let let let's just get a make another focus, and I will bring some Mexican wines and others for you. Some Mexican wines. The yeah, I don't know if I can buy them here, but I could probably, I don't know, maybe I could buy them. I don't know. They get them some. Yeah. I think that that's that's a good point because as I mentioned Mexican in this, the wine industry is still on the growing process.

01;05;24;16 - 01;05;45;24
Jessie
So most of the wines that produce are for the Indian market. Just a few big companies that are the ones that have had the ability to export wine to the US or Canada or Europe even. But just like four or five big companies have, they're the the ability to do it. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, it makes total sense.

01;05;46;01 - 01;06;17;01
Jessie
Hopefully. And hopefully in the next decade the even here in Mexico the the the the the this national organism that they regulate the wine in Mexico has how do you say has launched the new program for the developing of the industry and they their objective is to grow the Mexican wine industry up to ten times I think. And so hopefully that will.

01;06;17;01 - 01;06;47;26
Jessie
Wow. Yeah. So they have the geography, they have the land. Just need the technology I guess. Yeah. And the market. Yeah. Basically because as long as there there is no market. The interest in Mexican wines of course is not going to grow. But yeah, that's another thing for the Mexican when they start looking for new market and showing that Mexico make the point just out of curiosity and if you don't know, just you know, you don't know.

01;06;47;28 - 01;07;20;28
Jessie
Do you know what the breakout of wine, beer and spirits is in Mexico versus like the U.S.? Oh, is it 5% wine, 45% beer, 30%, 30 whatever. Percent remaining spirits is bigger than spirits, because I would imagine it probably is. Yeah. Yeah, definitely The main market. Yeah, I would say beer is around. Yeah, I would say 60 70% of the beverage market is beer.

01;07;21;00 - 01;07;48;03
Jessie
Then really 80% would be spirits and then just 10%, 5% wine. Wine is a still a long way to go. But the beer is I mean the figure is pretty small. Yeah, but wow, that's a lot. Okay. Yeah, I knew it was probably more than, you know, spirits because it just makes sense. Yeah, that's definitely Beer is our national drink.

01;07;48;06 - 01;08;16;07
Jessie
Yeah, Yeah. On the on the numbers. Yeah, yeah. And a lot of people drink beer in Mexico. Yeah. Yeah. Well, very cool. Well, this has been delightful. Again. Thank you, Pavel. I will let you get back to your family, but, um. Yeah, let's keep in touch. Maybe we'll get down there to visit you sometime. Excellent. So, yeah, I have a chance to visit Lady government and go to Casa de la ville.

01;08;16;09 - 01;08;41;23
Jessie
I'll be there, too. Yeah? Yeah, The. We'll do that agave spirit tasting because that sounds really fun. Oh, yeah. I would love to be able to try them all together like that. That would be so cool. The the really, the only way that you can differentiate the different flavor profiles of each, you know, is to kind of taste them each other.

01;08;41;25 - 01;09;05;13
Jessie
Yeah. Yeah. That's why we decided to do this. I got my spirits tasting because the air is very different when you try mezcal, tequila, like I know that's that's when you realize that the each one has their own profile, their own personality. Yeah. Well, is there anything else, Paolo, you you want to mention to the audience before we say goodbye?

01;09;05;15 - 01;09;25;26
Jessie
Well, no, Just make an invitation to the people to. If you see a bottle of Mexican wine, if you see a bottle of agave spirit made in Mexico because, we know that some of that is going to produce like of is great. But if it's from Mexico, be sure that it's a high quality product. So I will invite you to try Mexican wine.

01;09;26;02 - 01;09;55;11
Jessie
Mexican spirits. Yeah. Is growing the qualities that you will be more than surprised about how new these new products are achieving a new goals in them. Beverage market. Yeah, I love it. Well said. Well said. All righty. Okay, well, have a good evening, Pavel. Thank you again. As ever you. Thank you so much. Okay, Thank you. Bye bye.

01;09;55;13 - 01;10;19;17
Jessie
Next Thursday, I'm speaking with Kelly Jones, principal of Kelly Jones Hospitality, which focuses on FMB operations for on premise venues and president and CEO of Hospitality Alliance, a hospitality management development and consulting firm for the on premise world from start to finish. He started out at Puzzles Room and helped grow and opened several locations, which was the precursor to his career in the restaurant business.

01;10;19;19 - 01;10;45;23
Jessie
He had just opened his 106 restaurant at the time of our recording in September of 2023. He then jumped over to China Grill Management for nearly five years as director of Development and Operations. Kelly has had many experiences in the on premise world, including being president of Light Group, where he dipped his toe into nightlife establishments. Kelly is so ingrained into the business and operation side.

01;10;45;25 - 01;11;12;12
Jessie
If I were to open a new concept, he'd be my very first phone call. He's buttoned up on every level from concept in funding, understanding the brick and mortar development to operations. When it comes to cocktails on their menu. He lets the bartender create one each spirit, but they have to be made within 30 seconds. Those of you looking for advice on restaurant management, you don't want to miss this episode.

01;11;12;15 - 01;11;20;13
Jessie
Tune in next Thursday and have a great week. This week's episode was produced by Fedora Jay Productions.