Israeli Startup Gathers A-List Tequila Experts To Grow, Distill Agave In the Negev Desert

Fields of blue weber agave — the same used to distill tequila in Mexico — growing in the Negev Desert. (Photo: Negave Estates)

In Israel’s Negev Desert, a startup distillery intends to compete with Mexico’s finest tequila producers.

For all intents and purposes, Negave Estates will be recreating tequila abroad — the new project encompasses Israeli-based blue weber agave farms, a cooperage and a dedicated distillery. In a recent press release, the company announced that it has secured its first funding alongside a consulting team of tequila-industry veterans.

Co-founder David Niewood says: ”Guided by the support and enthusiasm of our fellow founders, we’ve procured the necessary resources, cultivated the quintessential Mexican Agave plant, and we’re poised to transform this dream into reality. Our inaugural bottles are set to grace the market in 2024.”

Due to protected designation of origin laws, tequila cannot be called “tequila” nor mezcal “mezcal” unless it’s produced in a handful of specific Mexican states. But as agave spirits have ballooned into the world’s fastest-growing spirit, international competitors have begun applying twists to the concept.

Today, blue weber agave spirits are being produced in California, Missouri, South Africa and beyond. Elsewhere, alcohol that would otherwise be classified as mezcal is being produced in South Africa and Germany.

Compared to similar startups, Negave looks to be mirroring the production process of Mexican-made tequila as closely as possible. Consultants include Maestra Tequilera Ana Maria Romero Mena — behind brands such as Mijenta, Volcan de mi Tierra and Corrido — and Dr. Ana Valenzuela, arguably one of the most famous authors and horticulturists in the agave spirits industry.

The company recently added Michael Ward, former Global Head of Innovation for Diageo (the world’s fifth-largest spirits company) to its advisory board.

The list goes on. Negave’s founders include Niewood, a Wall Street global equities manager, S. Fitzgerald Haney, former US ambassador to Costa Rica, and Yitzhak Carmy, an agriculturist who heads up one of Israel’s largest fruit and vegetable export companies.

Backed by an abundance of experts, the company promises to create “an exceptional, organic, and kosher agave-based spirit to compete with the finest tequilas and other agave-derived spirits in the world.”

Read More: 

Upscale Hotel Sues Rejected Underage Drinker Who Orchestrated Months-Long Smear Campaign 

Is Tequila Really the Healthiest Spirit? Exploring the Half-Truths of Agave Spirits Folklore

From Hidden Freezers to Underground Sex Shops: A Tour Through the World’s Most Secretive Tequila Speakeasies 

Here at The Daily Pour, we do more than write about current events in spirit. We are the only media property reviewing spirits and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the spirit world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of spirit in your morning email, sign up for our Whiskey Deal of the Day Newsletter