Agave farmers warn consumers of potential tequila shortage
Qui Tequila co-founder Pete Girgis joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss what could lead to a shortage and how growing demand has impacted the supply.
Agave farmers have warned there could be a tequila shortage on the horizon as demand soars while the global economy continues to battle supple chain shortages.
Qui Tequila co-founder Pete Girgis said it is "too early to tell" if consumers should stock up on their favorite brands, but did note that American demand for tequila has surged in recent years.
"What I can tell you is this agave and tequila overall consumption has been skyrocketing. Agave prices have gone up 10 times from where they were 10 years ago," Girgis said during "Fox & Friends First" Thursday. "And right now, tequila has become one of the fastest growing spirits in the country for the first time ever, outselling U.S. whiskey in this country."
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The sap from the agave plant is a key ingredient in tequila, and although it can be grown in various regions in the world, the plant is native to tropical Mexico.
Amid soaring demand, supply chain challenges, and agave costs, Girgis explained how growing the succulent is a lengthy process – one that can take almost a decade.
As a result, there is no quick-fix process to bolster agave planting.
"Blue Agave - Tequila Cactus growing in Jalisco, MexicoSee more Mexican vacation images:"
"It's generally a seven, eight, nine year process to grow the agave, but what's happening now, is once the agave prices skyrocketed, many people, who it was really outside of their core center of focus, began becoming agave farmers and growing plants in Jalisco," Girgis said. "So you'd find the local dentist is now an agave farmer really trying to take advantage of the opportunity that you're seeing in the market."
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"And as a result they were harvesting a lot of the agave at a much earlier stage in the life cycle," he continued.
Everstream Analytics’ chief meteorologist Jon Davis blamed the looming shortage on extreme weather, which has greatly impacted the ability to harvest the succulent, the New York Post reported.
The lack of precipitation in combination with higher-than-average temperatures has had a detrimental impact on Mexico's ability to keep up with the soaring global demand.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson cofounded Teremana Tequila alongside his business partners Dany Garcia, Ken Austin and Jenna Fagnan (not pictured) in 2020. Agave spirits are the hottest sector of the American spirits market in 2022, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. (Teremana Tequila/Michael Persico)
"The reality is it is a long process to create the agave, and we go a step further where after the agave is converted into tequila. We age every bottle of ours, so our focus is really delivering the elegance of aged tequila and making it accessible for the first time," Girgis said.
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Girgis said some tequila companies have been forced to supplement their brand with "additives or glycerin" in order to combat the supple chain issues, but his company does not resort to additives in their product.
"We're a craft brand," Girgis said. "We're not focused on selling millions of cases, and for us, it's really about delivering reserves and vintages. So we've actually taken a page out of the wine playbook using the Year of the Harvest for our most recent release."
"It's a very exciting time for tequila."
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