why we built palmeri

• 

• 

• 

We didn’t set out to build a distillery, but apparently we couldn’t help ourselves! We certainly didn’t think the world needed another liquor brand, but we were drawn to make something from what we saw all around us: agaves. More specifically, Agave Palmeri.

The three of us have always been makers. Building and making things is simply what we do. Bill comes from the trades - carpentry and building. Jascha’s background is in electrical and mechanical engineering. Megan comes from an art and design background. We each approach things differently, but we all enjoy figuring out how something works and then making it with our own hands.

When we moved to Bisbee, agave was everywhere. We saw it growing effortlessly all around us. And there it was—the idea that started it all: a small, sustainable distillery. We saw what was growing around us and thought, why not start with that? Using native crops like Hopi Corn, Sonora Wheat, and (of course) agave for our base spirits, we knew we could make something truly yummy and build from there. Realizing we could power everything with solar (thank you, Jascha) and reuse our distillery water for crops just made it all the more exciting. Palmeri started to feel like home.

For us, the distillery is an extension of the farm. We want to grow the ingredients we can or find a local organic supplier, and make our spirits without starting with bulk alcohol. It surprised us to learn how many distilleries purchase bulk alcohol or syrup, add some flavor, let it rest, and simply bottle it up. It feels a bit like buying soup in a can instead of making it yourself. We’d rather start with good ingredients and cook the soup ourselves! Our spirits will take longer to make, but they’ll also be really, really tasty. We never considered doing it any other way.

We are building Palmeri to be something we can enjoy and be proud of—not just something we can sell.

We can’t wait to open our doors!