Maestros
Onofre Ortiz Ortiz
His Origins
Onofre was born in Bramaderos, Miahuatlán in June 1981. He is the son of Don Alberto Ortiz and Doña Elena Bernardina Ortiz Franco, who are also from the same town. His grandfather, Rutilo Ortiz Ibarra, and great-grandfather, Julián Ortiz, were also involved in mezcal production, although only for personal and family consumption, as sales were minimal back in those days.
Onofre’s childhood was spent between school and play, and he had the opportunity to complete middle school (Telesecundaria) in the town of Mengolí, Miahuatlán. Onofre has five sisters who have lived in the U.S. for over 15 years.
At the age of 17, like the rest of his family, Onofre emigrated to Fresno, California, USA, where he spent 11 years harvesting tomatoes, grapes, and strawberries. He also worked as a mechanic’s assistant. During this time, he learned to play the bass and was part of a musical group called “Super Alarido,” which eventually disbanded. In 2009, he decided to return to his hometown, tired of the lonely and party-filled life in California.
That same December, Onofre married Dominga Jarquín Luna, who is also from Bramaderos. Together, they have four children: Briseida Candelaria, Iker Jesús, Betsi Esmeralda, and Fátima, who are 10, 8, 3, and 1 year old, respectively. Dominga is fully dedicated to taking care of the home.
For several years, Onofre has collaborated with brands such as Papá Diablo, Marca Negra, El Pensador, Donají, and Los Cuerudos, using the palenque built by his father. His annual production is very limited—between 7,000 and 10,000 liters—as he only uses maguey capón or pabilo, as he calls it.
Onofre enjoys making ensambles (blends) of several agaves typical of the region, especially the smoother-flavored ones, as he says. His favorite is a four-agave blend of Espadín, Bicuishe, Madrecuishe, and Mexicano. He likes Tepextate, but jokes that “it hits him too fast.”
When he’s not working at the palenque or in the fields, he drives his own pickup truck to transport passengers between his town and Miahuatlán.
Onofre dreams of launching his own brands—two of them, he says—which he plans to do between 2023 and 2024. He currently provides private education for his children and is committed to supporting them through university, with the hope that in the future they will help him continue developing the mezcal business.
Onofre has been collaborating with Puntiagudo since 2021 in the production of Agave Spirits such as Espadín, Tobalá, Madrecuishe, Bicuishe, Tepextate, Barril, and Arroqueño.
Our goal is to support Onofre in achieving his personal and business dreams through financial assistance and business guidance as needed.
