The youngest of nine children has stepped up as CEO and master distiller for a family of historic tequila producers. After departing her career in architecture and joining El Tesoro in 2015 as master of operations and third generation tequila maker, Jenny Camarena has now taken over leadership from her brother Carlos Camarena, largely known as a pioneer in modern tequila production.
Camarena spoke with spirits editor Ferron Salniker about how El Tesoro, which is made at the La Alteña distillery, is differentiating in the tequila boom, what trending expressions she plans to avoid, and why education is crucial for the brand at this moment.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for El Tesoro right now?
I think getting the word out about who we are and what we stand for as a tequila: family, tradition, the ways we are making El Tesoro are the same that my grandfather used when he started the distillery, and my father and brother before me. I’ve been so honored to step into this role and continue to steward the brand, and we have an incredible community of supporters that I’m so grateful to know. But every time we are able to touch new people and bring them into our family, it’s humbling and rewarding for me. I want to turn La Alteña into a reference point for what family businesses are capable of.
Has being a woman in the industry given you a different perspective or experience than your male peers?
I am lucky that the culture of my family and community has always been so welcoming to me and my nieces and the women in my family who work at La Alteña. I know that’s not the case everywhere, not only in Mexico, but in society at large. It’s not always a given that we can feel so confident to put our own mark on things, so it’s important to me to be a voice for women in the spirits industry. I’m excited for what lies ahead.
The tequila business has changed a lot since El Tesoro was founded. What are some of the most positive and negative developments in the industry in your opinion?
Tequila has become incredibly popular, but it wasn’t always that way. My brother was an early pioneer not only in tequila production but marketing, and had to work very hard to convince people in the U.S. and other places that tequila could be sipped and savored. As high profile figures began to realize what we’ve been doing here in Mexico for generations, many invested in tequila which has helped the public realize how good tequila can be.
Of course, in this trend, not everyone is doing things the right way. It’s up to us to continue to educate people about our practices and what makes for a true tequila experience – something we are proud to stand for with El Tesoro.
What do you see as some of El Tesoro’s long-term and short-term challenges, and how are you aiming to fix them?
Related to the first question, we are on a growth path that involves recruiting more people into our community of appreciators. It’s a delicate balance to grow while at the same time remaining true to who we are, especially when we are known for doing things the right way, that takes time – we are a tahona-crushed agave spirit and only a handful of other producers still use this method. There can be timelines and deadline pressures.
But like anything in life, good things come to those who wait. My duty is to protect what my family has built while putting my own mark on things and pushing the possibilities of tequila. But, my grandfather, my father and brother have always been fearless, this is what you have to be as a Camarena.
Any new expressions or operational additions you are excited about developing (or is there anything you definitely won’t be pursuing)?
I’m looking forward to the experimentation and creativity that goes into our barrel aging and limited editions, particularly the Mundial series. I would also love to explore the high-proof sector. Safe to say you won’t see us making a cristallino!
El Tesoro has collaborated with Suntory’s whiskey portfolio for the Mundial series – what do you think drives the success of this collaboration?
I admire the Jim Beam family so much. That was the first reference that I started to study when I entered the spirits world. We really are kindred spirits as distilling families. Carlos and Fred [Fred Noe, master distiller of Jim Beam] are such good friends and colleagues, and I think that respect for one another and our craft comes through in our collaboration bottles.