Born and raised in Durango, Mexico, IZO Co-Founder Gaston Martinez experienced the rich connection of a community established on the shared values of preserving the land and gathering in celebration of everyday moments to savor the rewards of a job well done.
“In my family and culture, Mezcal was always a symbol of celebration and the pure enjoyment of life - now, I’m proud to share the clean, smooth flavor of our naturally-produced agave spirits with the world.”
IZO’s recipe for lasting success begins by updating a uniquely old-world approach with a steadfast commitment to modern sustainable measures.
Prioritizing renewable local resources, our team relies on independent water sources, solar panels, and eco-conscious methods that preserve the wild beauty of our land for future generations.
Our traditional process begins on the high-altitude desert mesas of Durango, Sonora, and Jalisco.
Every premium batch of IZO spirits features wild-grown agave or desert spoon, hand-harvested and slow-roasted to perfection by skilled Mezcaleros.
In Mexico, agave has long been considered a sacred plant with juice once called “the elixir of the gods.” Cultural mythology holds that a lightning bolt struck the first agave plant, cooking it and releasing its inner liquid for the benefit of humankind.
When the Spanish conquered Mexico, they began searching for a way to make a fermented drink using local resources. Their experiments with agave resulted in the first Mezcal, a notoriously strong spirit made by fermenting and distilling the mashed, smoked piña - or heart - of the plant.
he first historical mentions of Mezcal appear in written records from travelers during Mexico’s colonial period, as well as in the Political Treatise on the Kingdom of New Spain by Alexander von Humboldt.
The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis describes the making of Mezcal by designated Mescalero Apaches: “the cooked plant… is placed in a heated pit and left until fermentation begins. It is then ground, mixed with water, roots added, and the whole boiled and set aside to complete fermentation.”
While Mezcal was first recognized as an Appellation of Origin in 1994, this regulation did not become law until 2003. Today, the Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal A.C. (or the Mexican Regulatory Council for Mezcal Quality) officially recognizes Mezcal as an agave spirit produced specifically in the provinces of Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.
Gaston Martinez - a native of Durango, Mexico - co-founds IZO with a mission to share the celebratory spirit and centuries-old legacy of agave spirits with the world. Firmly rooted in community values and cultural heritage, the IZO team works to uphold and preserve a proud legacy of partnership with the land and its resources as they produce an inspired collection of spirits, including an award-winning Mezcal.
