At Penka we are proud to work with agave, although it should be noted that when we say “Agave” we refer to a genus of plants native to the American continent, generally succulents that are now distributed all over the world. There are approximately 220 species in this genus, and Mexico is the center of origin of more than 75% of them.

Agaves are plants adapted to areas of low rainfall and prolonged droughts and can develop in semi-desert regions, with species that evolved from the coast to the high mountains.

Agaves are composed of a central storage stem known as a pineapple, and the leaves that surround it, called stalks. -hence the name we chose-, and underground stems from where they take nutrients. At the end of its productive life, it produces a quiote with its flowers and fruits.

In pre-Hispanic times, agaves were used for food, clothing and housing where our ancestors used the entirety of the plant: the fiber of the leaves for ropes and fabrics, the chiotes and dry leaves as construction materials. Fermented sugars gave rise to pulque, a low-alcohol beverage.

After the conquest, agaves were cultivated in different regions of Mexico and their production became specialized according to use. For example, in Yucatán, henequén was cultivated to make ropes and in Hidalgo and the center of the country, its use was focused on making pulque and mezcal distilled in stills using local species.

In the area of Tequila, Jalisco, in particular, a variety was found with a high sugar content, a short life cycle and high production of seeds for propagation, characteristics that, combined with the ease of grinding cooked fibers and extracting sugars, are excellent for the production of distillates. This variety is distinguished by the bluish color of its leaves or stems and is known as blue agave. Its botanical name is Agave tequilana Weber, blue variety.

For years, the waste of the tequila industry (what remains of the pineapple after processing and extraction of sugars) had no greater use, other than as feed for livestock and fertilizer for the land, but recently its applications have diversified, seeking a use of agave bagasse to use and exploit that biomass in the manufacture of building blocks, paper, crafts and what becomes our passion: biomaterials.

At Penka, we give life to the cellulose fibers of agave bagasse to make biomaterials with a multitude of applications, as a sustainable alternative to plastic materials derived from petroleum, among those applications is our line of straws, agitators and other products that we invite you to discover at www.penka.eco

By: Jose Ignacio del Real/Eduardo Rivera

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