Meet the Maestro of August 2021: Flavio Cesar Rodríguez Rodríguez Venturing east from Ejutla into the mountainous community of San Pedro Taviche, Ocotlán lies the palenque of second and third generation maestros, Timoteo and Flavio. Although it is the midpoint between the popular mezcal destinations of Matatlan, Miahuatlan, and Minas, this 2 hour drive has not been journied by many tourists and we are proud to feature an independent producer that most are yet to know. Timoteo worked in the states long enough to fulfill his dream of buying his own alembic, paving the way for his son, Flavio, to start his mezcalero career at the ripe age of 12. Selling out his first batch in a week’s time at 50 pesos a liter, Flavio has seen his career and the market take off. Contrary to the September feature, Timoteo preferred that we present his son as the main focus of our feature, expressing, “Without him, I’m nothing. He is my right arm”. This is reflected in the interview as the pair constantly underscores the other’s points and finishes each other’s sentences as if hype-manning off one and other. Throughout the month, we’ll learn more about the family’s entrepreneurial journey, what makes the Cuixe-Tepex ensemble so noteworthy, why they utilize two different water sources, and how they tailored their unique horno to meet their specific needs. Enjoy meeting this father-son duo!
