Kendall Jenner’s tequila supports rural communities

Mexico – The influencer's tequila company, 818, is supporting the Mexican communities that produce its agave spirits. Together with non-profit organisation SACRED, Jenner’s brand has been using post-production agave fibres to create adobe bricks, as part of the 818 Bricks Programme initiative. Now, the first bricks are being used to build a school library and a tasting room for a family-run distillery in the Mexican region of Jalisco.

The bricks created through the programme can last up to 400 years if properly maintained, leading to long-lasting infrastructure that makes use of waste materials. Through the 818 Bricks Programme, both the tequila brand and SACRED are bolstering local people’s skills and reviving the ancient tradition of creating adobe bricks. ‘To me, it’s so beautiful that they’re [818] thinking both about, how do we decrease our footprint on the planet and at the same time, how do we improve the communities that are helping us build our business,’ says Lou Bank, founder of SACRED.

As the adjacent market of Modern Mezcal booms, such projects demonstrate how agave-based spirits can maintain their provenance in an ethical and environmentally just way.