MEMBER NEWS: Madera Community College Agave Distilling Program this fall
In a Fresno Bee video published last fall, Madera Community College President Ángel Reyna explains the college’s new academic Agave Distilling Program that will begin later this fall, he announced at his recent State-of-the-Campus address.
President Reyna provides update in his
State-of-the-Campus address
In his recent state-of-the-campus address, Madera Community College President Ángel Reyna announced that the college’s new academic Agave Distilling Program will roll out later this fall as a community education course with a credit curriculum currently in the development stages.
In a story published last fall, The Fresno Bee reported that community college students will work with a local winery where they will use commercial-grade equipment to make alcoholic spirits from the increasingly popular agave plant, famous for its production of tequila and mezcal in Mexico.
“Establishing an academic agave distilling program would be an innovative step for the state’s youngest community college: not only would it be the first of its kind at a public college in California, but it would train the future workforce of the state’s growing agave industry,” the story reported.
President Reyna told The Bee that, in the long-term, capitalizing on agave-based education could lead to an economic and cultural boost for Madera County.
At his campus address Oct. 3, he said Madera Community College is now leasing the Balbas American Winery located in south Madera and that $300,000 worth of equipment has been purchased. The program will plant 10-20 acres of various agave on campus and MCC plans to collaborate with the University of California Merced and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources for agave-related research.
President Reyna said in addition to its training and educational aspects, the vision of the Madera Community College academic Agave Distilling Program is to:
- build a hotel, restaurant, bar and distillery
- establish the “Bi-National Agave Route”
- create a museum to illustrate the history of agave-tequila, mezcal and MCC’s work in this academic endeavor
Background:
- Agave spirits made in Madera? College is investing in crop’s future distillers, farmers – Fresno Bee (Nov. 27, 2024)
