Sunora Bacanora comes in four varieties.
By Alfredo Espinola
Rubén Rafael López Hernández was born in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora. His life took a turn at the age of four when his family emigrated to the United States in search of a better future. He grew up there, far from the land where he was born and, paradoxically, also far from the drink that today gives meaning to his story: Bacanora.
“Until 2016, I knew nothing about Bacanora,” he confesses. After a conversation with his uncle, who was the director of the Regulatory Council for this drink, the spark was lit. “He told me, ‘We want to catch up with tequila. If there is anyone willing to help, let's do this seriously.’ And I thought about my people, about the migrants who were left behind, about the need to create jobs in Mexico. That's how it all started.”
Rescuing a forgotten tradition
Bacanora is not a recent fad; it has more than 300 years of tradition. It is believed to have originated with the Ópata people, who fermented wild agave long before Spanish missionaries taught them how to distill it. By the end of the 19th century, this Sonoran spirit was even being exported to Europe.
But in 1915, General Plutarco Elías Calles banned its production and sale, considering it a drink “for the people of the mountains.” The industry was reduced to clandestinity for almost eight decades, until the ban was lifted in 1992. Although the road has not been easy, years later, in 2005, the Designation of Origin was granted.
Agave angustifolia, known in the region as agave pacífica, takes between 8 and 15 years to mature and requ
Rubén Rafael López Hernández
ires costly irrigation systems in an arid territory. “The people of the mountains have the will, but not always the resources to get the industry off the ground,” explains Rubén.
From obscurity to international awards
When Rubén and his team started in 2017, the landscape was almost untouched. “We went to a restaurant in Hermosillo and I asked for bacanora. The waiter told me, ‘We don't have any.' Imagine, in Sonora, the land of bacanora, there wasn't a single bottle,” he says.
Around that time, Rubén founded Missing Link Spirits LLC and began working on what is now the Sunora brand. Together with local partners, he built a modern distillery and began distributing in Mexico and the United States. “We have a 42-proof añejo and three cremas: piña colada, mocha, and pecan,” he explains proudly.
The venture has paid off. Sunora is now available in nine U.S. states and in cities such as Guadalajara, Mexico City, and, of course, throughout Sonora. In addition, its labels have won medals in international competitions such as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where the pecan cream liqueur won double gold.
Between tradition and modernity
Rubén knows that the challenge is twofold: to rescue a drink steeped in history and, at the same time, position it in a market dominated by tequila and mezcal.
"It's like corn tortillas, same hands, same ingredients, but everyone gives them a different touch. The same goes for bacanora: the land, the climate, the wood we use to cook the pineapple—everything gives it its own personality," he explains.
His formula combines modern techniques with traditional processes, from fermentation in wooden tanks to the use of mesquite and walnut wood to give the distillate its character.
The challenge of conquering palates
Although the US market is one of the most promising, it also presents great challenges. “Tequila is already part of American culture. Convincing someone to include bacanora on their menu requires education, tastings, and constant promotion,” explains Rubén.
He added experiences such as that of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Los Cabos, where they trained all the staff to introduce their añejo, confirming that the gamble is worth it.
Pride and legacy
For Rubén, bacanora is not just a business, it is a way of giving something back to the land that saw him born. “It is a source of pride when someone tries our product and says, ‘I like it, I'm going to buy a bottle and share it with my friends.’ For Sonora, it means rescuing a tradition; for Mexico, it means adding another high-quality spirit to our cultural wealth.”
Today, he looks to the future with optimism, believing that in five years, bacanora could achieve the recognition that mezcal has today. “It's not about reinventing the wheel; other distillates have already paved the way. We must walk that path with perseverance,” he reflects.
Rubén shared a memory with us: when he managed to place his product in Costco, “it was like winning the World Series,” he said, smiling as he acknowledged that “all the effort has been worth it... For me, bacanora means pride; pride in Sonora, pride in Mexico, and personal pride. It's a legacy I want to share with the world.”
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