Tequila Interchange Project

CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO OR VISIT TEQUILAINTERCHANGEPROJECT.ORG/PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Applications are now live for the 2026 TIP Writer-in-Residence program!

Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Innovation Fund, TIP has been able to launch its first-ever Professional Development Program. We have created three tracks for participants to share their love of agave by exploring career paths both within and beyond the bar!

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Don Tomás Virgen while we were recently in Zapotitlan del Vadillo, Jalisco. We were introduced to his family through our friends at . Our organization was lucky to call him a dear friend. Our trips to the region often ended with spending the golden hour walking among the genetically diverse fields of his family with him, his father Dón Lorenzo, and his sons Jesús and Rodrigo. ⁠
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With the sun setting, illuminating the fields with a warm glow against the formidable backdrop of the Nevado de Colima y Volcan de Fuego, we spent hours listening to generations of this family as they taught us about the special place that agave holds for them and the region. The world is a darker place without his smile in it, but we are all lucky that Tomás' legacy will live on in his family's spirits and the plants that continue to thrive in the soil that he and his family have nurtured with their sweat, souls, and care. ⁠
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We will treasure the memories and lessons Don Tomás gave us and hope to continue his legacy as advocates of cherished traditions. ⁠
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Nos entristeció profundamente enterarnos del fallecimiento de Don Tomás Virgen durante nuestra reciente visita a Zapotitlán del Vadillo, Jalisco. Nuestra organización tuvo la suerte de considerarlo un querido amigo. Nuestros viajes a la región a menudo culminaban con un paseo al atardecer entre los campos de agave de gran diversidad genética de su familia.⁠
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Con la puesta de sol iluminando los campos con un cálido resplandor, con el imponente Nevado de Colima y el Volcán de Fuego como telón de fondo, pasamos horas escuchando a varias generaciones de esta familia, quienes nos enseñaron sobre el lugar especial que el agave ocupa en sus vidas y en la región. El mundo es un lugar más sombrío sin su sonrisa, pero tenemos la fortuna de que el legado de Tomás perdure en el espíritu de su familia y en las plantas que siguen floreciendo en la tierra que él y su familia han cultivado con su esfuerzo, dedicación y cariño.⁠
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Atesoraremos los recuerdos y las enseñanzas que Don Tomás nos brindó y esperamos continuar su legado como defensores de estas valiosas tradiciones.