It all started with a simple question—one of those innocent, offhand comments that accidentally launch revolutions.
We were in Oaxaca last month shooting for Mezcal Palomo when Carlos Méndez, the brand’s founder, casually asked Shawn if he could visit Jalisco to learn more about masonry ovens. You know, just a small detour into the beating heart of tequila. Shawn, being Shawn, made a couple of calls. Not long after, Felipe Camarena (G4) and Juan Eduardo Núñez (El Viejito) were in. Then, like tequila at a family party, things escalated quickly.
Fausto Romero (El Acabo – Asil), Álvaro Fernández (El Acabo – Asil), and Sergio Garnier (Ultramundo) joined in. The only one who couldn’t make it was Luis Ángel Villalobos (El Ateo), probably out existentializing somewhere meaningful. And just like that, we had a gathering of minds that, in our universe, is the equivalent of assembling the Avengers—if the Avengers fermented agave and debated copper stills.
First stop: El Pandillo. Felipe Camarena greeted us with his signature combination of engineering genius and sage-level wisdom, both as legendary as his disregard for conventional boundaries. When Sergio asked him what the key to G4’s success was, Felipe paused. We all leaned in. “Quality” he said. Then he dropped the tequila like a mic—well, not really, but it would’ve been cool. Actually… dropping tequila might’ve been dramatic, sticky, and a tragic waste of good spirit. Now I’m glad he didn’t. But the moment still hit like a punchline wrapped in a proverb. It hit everyone like an insightful slap to the face. Not quality as in “well-made,” but quality as a way of life. As a stubborn refusal to compromise, cut corners, and do things just for applause.
Then came El Viejito. Picture Comic-Con, but instead of cosplay, it was Willy Wonka at the Tequila factory, and the kids were now drunken fermentation savants arguing over brix levels like their lives depended on it. Led by master distiller Karina Rojo, the visit descended into glorious agave nerdery: copper vs stainless, yeast debates, open vs closed tank tribalism. The whole thing was a beautiful mess of obsession and respect. Kind of like watching a bunch of genius kids arguing about which lightsaber color is most powerful.
Somewhere between the yeast rants and the second glass of tequila, someone asked what exactly PKGD is doing with all these brands. We explained: it’s not just about design or messaging. It’s about digging into the soul of each brand, uncovering its deepest values, and lifting them up like philosophical talismans.
That’s when we dropped the Power Rangers metaphor. Everyone laughed—and then immediately took it way too seriously. Each brand has its own color, its own virtue and message. And PKGD? We’re Zordon. Big floating head, some wisdom, and the kind of cryptic energy you’d expect from a tequila-fueled life coach who quotes Nietzsche one moment and forgets what day it is the next. We’re not sages, just slightly overcaffeinated brand whisperers doing our best to make meaning out of agave and chaos. I guess they like us that way.
The final leg of the journey took us west, to the Sierra of Ahuacatepec, where the Tres Gallos taberna sits like a monastery for the agave monks of the world. There, the group learned about the Labastida family, about cultivating raicilla not just as a spirit, but as a symbol of resistance, roots, and reinvention. We rode horses—there may have been a minor disagreement between one of them and a hat, but no egos (or bones) were broken. We talked late into the night. There were probably more emotions than anyone expected.
What started as a tech visit turned into a pilgrimage. Not the kind where you come back with souvenirs, but the kind where you come back with purpose… and souvenirs.
Each of these brands carries a philosophy. G4 is Diogenes with a still: honest, wild, and brilliant. Palomo drinks with Epicurus—pleasure as presence, not possession. El Ateo is existentialism in a bottle: no afterlife, no excuses. Ultramundo is Schiller on agave: where imagination behaves like nature—wild, unpredictable, and absolutely necessary. The rest, well… still decoding.
All of it ladders up to what we believe in at PKGD: Inner Power. A strange, rare mix of Knowledge, Freedom, Clarity, and Presence. Our real product isn’t just tequila or mezcal. It’s the state of mind they invite you into. One sip closer to your better self. One glass toward understanding that the best experiences are the ones that make you stop and really feel the now.
That’s why this gathering mattered. It wasn’t just historic because we got these producers in one place. It was historic because, for the first time, they saw each other not just as fellow artisans, but as part of something greater. A movement. A message.
Watching them align—mentally, spiritually, and yes, Power-Ranger-ly—we felt something shift. The mission of PKGD, long forming in the background, suddenly felt clear. This isn’t just about branding. It’s about coherence. It’s about courage. It’s about raising a glass and knowing exactly what you stand for.
And if we need to wear colorful suits to make that happen, so be it—because after all, that’s the spirit!
This article was structured with the assistance of artificial intelligence (ChatGPT). All content is based on human input and editorial oversight. For more details on how PKGD integrates AI responsibly, please refer to our AI Policy.
