A little about me and why I started this - I was a bartender and cocktail developer in Toronto for many years until the pandemic took me out of the bar scene completely. I ran off to Mexico, the only place that was open during lockdown, desperate to find a new purpose. I decided to stop drinking completely in May 2021 when I visited Oaxaca for the first time, and I haven't left since. 

But what's an ex-bartender to do, sober, in a city where mezcal comes out on tap? I still had many friends in the alcohol industry, and I was consulting for a bunch of non-alcoholic brands to help develop cocktails for bars, but I really hated how much I had to adjust the recipes to make the non-alcoholic cocktails taste good. There must be a better option - it's already hard enough deciding to stop drinking, and now I have to fumble around with recipes to drink something half-decent without the buzz? What's the point? There needed to be something better.

And this is the Amanda moment - if I want something, I'll make it myself. I decided to create a 'non-alcoholic mezcal' in the summer of 2021 so that I could enjoy what I was drinking, and hopefully, there would be others out there that would appreciate the same. I wandered around Oaxaca, visiting all the mezcal palenques asking for this ridiculous request, with absolutely no one open to the idea. Eventually I found my mad scientist, Matt, an excellent distiller and simply enjoyed the challenge of making a non-alcoholic mezcal, and we went on our mission to make the very first all-natural, non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit made in Oaxaca, Mexico.

We discussed at length about the current processes for non-alcoholic spirits - and I didn't want anything made in a lab, no artificial flavors or extracts, no preservatives, no citric acid - I wanted something made with real agave, real ingredients, shelf stable and distilled through the artisanal process we have here in Oaxaca. Was I crazy? Absolutely.

Two long years later we finally have a proprietary process to create the best non-alcoholic alternative to agave spirits to date - rare tobala harvested and roasted in a pit oven from master mezcaleros in Oaxaca, then fermented and distilled along with local botanicals and blended with smoked pineapple to create a delicate, smooth agave spirit, without the alcohol.

During this time I have completely self-funded this project, supported by my first company, Salty Paloma in Canada. But after two years, we burned through all our cash and after getting strung along with a bunch of VC firms and accelerators, I decided to launch a Kickstarter to help pay for our first custom-made copper still. I'm proud to say it was a success, and in 30 days we raised $10,000 to support the Tomonotomo dream.

Today, we are still a small team (of just me, my partner Ginna, and Matt the mad scientist lol) and literally travel through the mountains of Oaxaca to source agave, ferment and distill them in our tiny garage here in Oaxaca City, Mexico.

Follow along on our entrepreneurial journey on Instagram @tomonotomoagave in creating the most authentic, all-natural, non-alcoholic distilled agave spirit straight from Mexico to your glass. 

Want to chat? I love connecting with people passionate about the sober movement and non-alcoholic beverages. Get in touch with me directly at amanda@tomonotomo.com.