Making mezcal is really hard work. Mexican producers harvest agave by hand and cook it in giant, earthen ovens. Then they crush it using a 1,000-pound, horse-drawn stone and distill it in copper pots. Despite all this effort, Mexican producers aren’t making the big bucks, even though demand for the spirit is booming. While Mexican regulations do require mezcal to be made in Mexico, that hasn't stopped large, international companies from scooping up mezcal supplies, repackaging, and reselling bottles for huge profits abroad. And the only organization that can stand in the way, the mezcal certifying agency COMERCAM, has faced claims of favoritism of these large companies. This has left some century-old mezcal brands frustrated and fearful that their ancestral ways of making mezcal are at risk. So, there's a growing trend of brands leaving the certified industry and choosing to call their brands "distilled agave" instead of mezcal. Special thanks to Casa Mezcal: https://www.instagram.com/casamezcal/ MORE BIG BUSINESS VIDEOS: How Junior's Bakes 5 Million Cheesecakes During A Cream Cheese Shortage | Big Business https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hktm2mvQKc0 Airlines Spend Billions, So Why Are Travelers More Miserable Than Ever? | Big Business https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhJuDap4CU Quinoa Prices Crashed. Farmers Still Harvest 100,000 Tons A Year | Big Business | Business Insider https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgsjaDe5Qd8 ------------------------------------------------------ #Mezcal #Mexico #Businessinsider Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more. Visit us at: https://www.businessinsider.com/ Subscribe: null BI on Facebook: https://read.bi/2xOcEcj BI on Instagram: https://read.bi/2Q2D29T BI on Twitter: https://read.bi/2xCnzGF BI on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Business_Insider/5319643143 Boot Camp on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/Boot_Camp/3383377771 Mezcal Is The Fastest-Growing Liquor In The US. Why Aren't Mexican Producers Cashing In?