Overview: Terruño Ancestral Spirits has established a presence in downtown Denver’s LoDo neighborhood, featuring tequila, mezcal, and rare Mexican spirits alongside regional cuisine. The venue emphasizes education and fair trade with producers.
The Full Story
Liquor distributors Bere Vallarino, Miguel Salgado, and Fabiola Castillo have transitioned into restaurateurs to open the space at 1526 Blake St. in Denver. The founders aim to share knowledge, customs, and culture beyond standard Tex-Mex style that has become commonplace in the states. Vallarino stated, “We want to share our knowledge, our customs and our culture,” noting they are not just serving burritos and tequila.
The three partners moved to Colorado in 2019 after spending all their lives in Mexico City, where Salgado had an importing business. After facing threats from gangs, they decided to leave their home country. They became importers of Mexican candies and other small goods before pivoting to alcohol three years ago, a business they will still keep while running the restaurant.
Brand & Industry History
The founders spent decades in Mexico City before relocating due to safety concerns. Vallarino, Salgado, and Castillo, who are married, have been distributing tequilas, mezcals and lesser-known Mexican spirits like raicilla and sotol together for the last three years. They supply restaurants and bars across the state and hold events to teach their clients about the drinks, how they’re made and the farmers that make them.
What This Means
The principal idea with all of this is to give help to the producers in Mexico. Vallarino noted they work with small and medium-sized brands only, ensuring they know they are getting a fair price from the distributors for their products. The venue will keep up educational sessions several times a month, inviting farmers from Mexico to come to Colorado and talk about how they make their product.
Consumer Takeaway
The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., offering foods from around central Mexico with recommendations for spirit pairings. There will also be a grab-and-go café serving coffees, energy drinks and Mexican pastries from 7 a.m. through 1 p.m. The space features hundreds of spirits to choose from, along with beer, whiskey, vodka, gin and other liquors. Most will be sourced from farmers in Mexico, while the rest will be made by local distilleries, breweries and the like.
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