Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcus Piña. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marcus, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Professionally I’ve been in the creative field as a designer and creative director since 1996, with a focus on digital UX, brand and design systems, and leadership. During that time I’ve regularly had some sort of side hustle. For 20 years I co-owned an art gallery, Garde Rail Gallery, and for more years than that have been a musician. Currently I’m Head of Creative at argodesign, a global product strategy and experience design agency, based in Austin. In that role I’m responsible for managing creative teams, crafting program proposals, landing new business, providing creative oversight on programs, and some creative directoring.
About 8 years ago I started to think about what my next side hustle would be. I knew it had to be something I was passionate about as that’s been the common denominator in all my endeavors. I was wide open. I did know I wanted to spend more time in Mexico, and I was getting drawn into the culture surrounding mezcal. I didn’t think I would be starting a mezcal brand but that’s what I ended up doing, Creador Agave Spirits.
I started to visit Oaxaca and specifically the palenques where mezcal is traditionally produced by mezcaleros and their families. With every passing moment I fell further for every aspect – the people, the food, the countryside, the craft, the stories, the art, the process, the culture, and of course the mezcal.
I decided I would do something with mezcal. I had visited Oaxaca several times and hadn’t completely dialed in what I wanted to do. Would I be an importer? A distributor? A brand ambassador? An investor? It turns out I would be nearly all those things.
The idea for the project solidified after I visited a palenque and discovered that the mezcalero there only worked making mezcal part-time. Why? Because he didn’t have enough clients to sell his mezcal and so had to work other jobs to make ends meet, taking time away from making mezcal. His agave spirits were very good and I thought it a crime that he wasn’t able to pursue his passion full time.
On the winding bumpy ride back to Oaxaca Centro the idea for the project crystalized. I would seek out mezcaleros that needed help getting their exceptional mezcales to broader markets, and thus create an economy for the producer and their family which would allow them to produce mezcal full time and share their beautiful spirits with a wider audience. The idea for Creador was born.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’m currently based in Austin, TX, and have built careers by following my passions in the art, music, and design industries. When I realized that I shared my name with the heart of the agave – piña – I knew there was no turning back from pursuing my latest passion – mezcal, and the people who make it. With Creador I hope to share this beautiful spirit, the cultures that surround it, as well as help create economies for the producers in Mexico.
Working with some of the most brilliant minds in design for decades fully influenced how I arrived at the project, and the brand. While I intentionally wanted to pursue a project that was analog, traditional, and handmade, I’ve leveraged what I’ve learned from decades in the digital product design industry. I’ve worked on a wide range of projects, and success usually derives from a few key elements – collaboration, craft, and transparency – the people, the process, and making something true and real.
I set about early in defining guiding principles for the brand, and sought out known collaborators to help build the foundations for the brand. I hired one of my favorite type designers, Steven Eggert, whom I had worked with previously at frog design and argo, and we dialed in the typeface, word mark, and direction for the logo and bottle labeling. I later hired Camille Woods to craft paintings which would provide the art for the labels. Camille had left argodesign to paint full time, and her self-taught narrative style aligned perfectly with my passion for folk art, the color pallets found in Oaxaca, and the soul and feel of the brand.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Idea for the brand established, I set about finding the right producer to begin the project with. I met mezcalero José Alberto Pablo in October 2019, told him I would be back soon as I get the business set up, and then we all know what happened next. I didn’t see him again until March 2021. During that 18 month span we spent time maintaining a relationship across cultures and nations via WhatsApp while I figured out how to set up my spirits business, how to import from Mexico, how to pretty much do everything. While some resources could be found online I also spent time meeting with people online during quarantine, getting on phone calls, building relationships, attending remote tastings, connecting with community, being told to not even bother, being encouraged, being frustrated with archaic process, designing and redesigning, and foregoing second guessing and going with the gut. There were many obstacles getting to market. A favorite story is when the first shipment was crossing into Texas at Nuevo Laredo. There had been an arrest but the Mexican authorities, and then an ensuing gun battle, and I see a photo of a truck on fire – a truck on fire with the branding of the company I was using! Then the border was shut. The shipment made it through and eventually arrived unscathed. Patience has proven to be an excellent foil for resilience.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The entire process has been a series of pivots and decisions, or rather being flexible and able to swivel into different directions. This meant remaining open to possibilities and jumping into the openings or areas that would provide differentiation. While I knew what type of brand I wanted to create, there was a lot of play within that and had to make decisions that the flexibility I had maintained would allow. There’s also an element that being new to the spirits and hospitality space provides me some liberty in not knowing what I don’t know. Taking experiences from my career in design has helped tremendously – listening and empathy especially.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.creadorspirits.com
- Instagram: creadorspirits
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creadorspirits
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuspina/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEeBAxLQIXucbpg_vA7kP_A
Image Credits
credit Creador Agave Spirits