Professional Development
TEQUILA INTERCHANGE PROJECT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
TIP is glad to announce that we were selected as one of the winning proposals for the 2025 Slow Food Negroni Week Fund Innovation Award. This grant program is dedicated to funding networks, individuals and programs that cultivate community, foster equity and justice, and seek a better world for all through food and beverage.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SLOW FOOD NEGRONI WEEK FUND
Through this grant, TIP is able to launch our first-ever Professional Development Program! This program is dedicated to helping hospitality professionals with a love of agave explore the category in profound, experiential ways. We have developed three different tracks for applicants to pursue: production/ecology, writing, and hospitality. Below you will find more information on each track and how to apply!
Production/Ecology Residency with Zinacantan
This program is a collaboration between the Tequila Interchange Project and Zinactantan Agave Spirits. Based in the town of San Diego la Meza Tochimiltzingo, Zinacantan has put together an incredible work study opportunity for hospitality professionals! Selected applicants will spend 9 days working with mezcalera Fabiola Torres Monfil, learning about mezcal history in the region, how they produce mezcal working with the natural environment, and their holistic approach to resource management.
Through funds received through the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund, TIP will be awarding one applicant travel reimbursement for up to $700 as well as $1,500 to compensate for missed wages while participating in the residency.
Tequila Interchange Project Writer-in-Residence
For the first time ever, the Tequila Interchange Project will have their very own in-house writer. As the second phase of our Professional Development Program, TIP will be selecting one hospitality/beverage professional who has wanted to venture beyond the bar and explore the world of beverage journalism to serve as our 2026 TIP Writer-in-Residence!
Through this program, the selected applicant will have the opportunity to visit Jalisco for research and, upon their return, they will be paid to write bimonthly pieces to be published on the TIP website and cross-posted to Mezcalistas.com. To help hone their skills TIP has also assembled an all-star team of beverage media professionals that will graciously donate their time to serve as editors and provide periodic office hours to help mentor the TIP Writer in Residence to learn how to do things like build their network and pitch stories as a freelance writer.
Hospitality Residency with Mezonte
This program is one that has been a long time coming. The Tequila Interchange Project has collaborated for several years with Pedro Jimenez and his team at Mezonte, Destilados Mexicanos de Agave. Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund, TIP has been able to partner with Mezonte and their sister bars De la O Cantina and Sacualillo to provide one member of the hospitality industry a once-in-a-lifetime educational and professional experience.
The selected applicant will spend one week in Guadalajara, Mexico, training and staging with the crew at Mezonte and De la O Cantina. They will also get to visit producers as well as share their love of agave by hosting a one night only pop-up at De la O Cantina! Airfare and lodging will be covered, and missed wages will be reimbursed up to $1,000!
Winner Announced February 5th!
We are pleased to announce the winning applicant for the Tequila Interchange Project sponsorship for the Zinacantan Residency Program is Marissa Gatta, Senior Beverage Director of Westbound and Tap & Bottle in Tucson, Arizona. Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Innovation Fund, TIP's new Professional Development Program will cover Marissa's travel and missed wages as she participates in a nine-day immersive experience of staying on-site with the team from Zinacantan. This residency provides a holistic view of how the project approaches their natural resource management, agave cultivation, mezcal production and how they see themselves as one part of the larger ecosystem and work to create a more sustainable future for the agave spirits community.
Winner Announced April 6th!
We are pleased to announce the winning applicant for the Tequila Interchange Project Writer-in-Residence Program is Carmen Lopez, a young writer who’s work was recently featured on L.A. Taco. Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Innovation Fund, TIP's new Writer-in-Residence Program will connect Carmen with volunteer mentors and editors to publish bi-monthly pieces through TIP’s website. Carmen Lopez is a food chemist and a Mexican spirits expert currently based in Mexico City. As a former new yorker, she has worked with agave spirits for more than 10 years consulting, crafting cocktail menus and teaching about agave and her Zapotec heritage. You can see her on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and occasionally sharing mezcal around the world.
Winner Announced April 6th!
We are pleased to announce the winning applicant for the Tequila Interchange Project Writer-in-Residence Program is Clinth Lopez, a DC-based hospitality professional, who currently works as Senior Bartender at Silver Lyan. Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Innovation Fund, TIP's new Hospitality Residency Program is sending Clinth to Guadalajara to spend a week with the crew at Mezonte and their sister bar De la O Cantina. His résumé includes time at Michelin-starred restaurants Bresca, Jônt, and Albi, representing Westward Whiskey in the DMV market, managing cocktail events such as BCB and NYCocktail Expo, judging cocktail competitions, and winning a national competition with Stauning. Clinth continues his academic pursuit of spirits education with certifications from the Edinburgh Whisky Academy and WSET Level 2 (currently pursuing Level 3), and serves as Mid-Atlantic Ambassador for Empirical Spirits.