Our Team
Whether guests spend a day, four days or build a custom experience with us, we provide maximum value in exchange for their time.
We are a team of dedicated, full-time, tequila, mezcal, tourism, and hospitality professionals. On average, everyone on our team has 20 years of experience in hospitality and Latin American spirits. Our diverse experience, unrivaled expertise, and laid-back style create a warm, unpretentious vibe that fosters a fun, friendly environment in our tequila and mezcal tour groups.
Our tour hosts and coordinators live in Mexico and have lived here for years. We are all bilingual in Spanish and English, and have formally and extensively studied tequila and mezcal for decades, complementing our unique life experiences in Mexico. Agave is our calling.
Senior tour coordinator Kami Kenna has a Master of Arts in food studies from NYU, while founder Clayton Szczech is a sociologist, Ph.D. candidate, and the author of A Field Guide to Tequila. His doctoral dissertation focuses on distillers and agave farmers in rural Jalisco. In other words, this is not our hobby, a side hustle, or a recently discovered passion that we are exploring. Rather, it’s a true calling that, with luck and dedication, has become a lifetime profession. Our enthusiasm is big, and our attention to detail is profound.
Origin:
Bakersfield, California
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish + beginning Nahuatl
Agave spirit of choice:
High proof Blancos
Clayton Szczech
Founder + Tour Leader
Equal parts scholar, evangelist, and nerd, Clayton is a full time agave spirits culture specialist who believes that agave spirits should be sipped and savored, their history and culture absorbed and appreciated, and their regions of origin explored. This ideology led him to create a new category of agave spirits tourism in Mexico. He set the benchmark for the highest standard of professionalism in his industry and continues to expand his access, connections and influence into all facets of the agave spirits world.
Fluent both linguistically and culturally, his dedication to Mexico has flourished over the past 25 years. It began as an affinity for the Spanish language and developed into an active exploration of culture where he discovered that agave spirits are not just a beverage—but a place, history and tradition.
Growing up in Bakersfield, California, Clayton pushed against social norms and embraced the marginalized. As a high school punk rocker and wannabe cholo he became obsessed with learning Spanish, sparking his interest in all things Mexico. At age 17—accompanied by a machete and a friend—he crossed the border on foot and never stopped going back to Mexico, eventually relocating there permanently.
As a recent immigrant to Mexico, Clayton began exploring and tasting tequila at home, noting the wide range of flavor and quality. He read everything he could find about tequila, in both English and Spanish and with piqued curiosity traveled to the village of Tequila, Jalisco. He was immediately compelled to create an experience to share Tequila and its traditional elixir, with the world. In 2008, rooted in his personal exploration, he combined the best of what he had discovered with his love of storytelling and hospitality into a tequila tasting tour and founded Experience Agave. He continued to explore all agave spirits and their culture, leading him to very quickly add mezcal tours in Oaxaca and more recently raicilla tours in Jalisco.
Clayton is proud to be a global interpreter of and voice for agave spirits. He is certified as an Experto en Tequila and the only non-Mexican national to earn the Tequila Regulatory Council’s prestigious “Double-T” certification.
When he’s not traveling the world speaking about, consulting on or tasting agave spirits, he can be found hosting custom experiences for Experience Agave guests, curating the spirits selection at La Cata, or serving as a tasting judge or consultant for agave spirits festivals.
Origin:
Spokane, Washington
Languages spoken:
English + Spanish
Agave spirit of choice:
High-proof tequila or Agave inaequidens from Jalisco or Michoacan (mezcal, destilado de agave, or raicilla)
IG: @kamkamgram
Kami Kenna
Senior Tour Leader
Before you ever heard the word influencer, Kami Kenna was already a truly informed voice in the spirits industry. Kami is a woman of many hats: bartender, distiller, spirits brand owner, tequila tour leader, and forever student of Latin America.
After bartending her way through college, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, Film Studies, and Caribbean Studies from Portland State University in 2012. She would later earn a Master of Arts in Food Studies from New York University.
In 2014, she won a trip to Peru in a cocktail competition. On a leap of faith, she quit her job in Portland, sold everything, and has been living between Peru and Mexico ever since.
In Mexico, Kami is the senior tour leader for Experience Agave. In Peru, she worked as the assistant distiller at Destilería Andina and is now sales and marketing manager for the women-owned and led pisco brand PiscoLogía.
Kami has been working with Experience Agave for ten years. She is completely captivated by the people behind agave spirits, due to years of in-depth visits to distilleries throughout Mexico. She is intensely appreciative of Experience Agave’s approach of highlighting human beings over brands. Her 20 years of experience in Latin American spirits allow her to share a deep love of agave spirits culture with our tour guests. If you want to dive deep into the geeky details, she’s all in.
Origin:
Miahuatlán Oaxaca, Mexico
Languages spoken:
English + Spanish
Agave spirit of choice:
All of them!
Darinel “Dari” Silva
Tour Leader
Dari’s immersion in the tradition of mezcal began as a child in Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. His grandfather’s house was a gathering point for mezcaleros from throughout the region, the place they would store their mezcal until market day. As a young adult, Dari saw that making traditional mezcal requires the hard work of entire families and villages. These early palenque visits kindled the curiosity and enthusiasm for mezcal and maguey varietals that are hallmarks of his personality today.
Dari is an architect by training and a part-time rally car navigator. He has been with Experience Agave for over a decade. His top priority is helping people appreciate mezcal’s complexities. Mezcal touches every part of Oaxacan village culture, and Dari revels in making those hidden connections apparent to outsiders. Dari’s kindness and patience ensure that guests feel safe and comfortable at all times, able to enjoy rural Oaxaca without feeling overwhelmed. He feels privileged to watch people fall in love with the spirit as he did so many years ago.
When he’s not sharing his knowledge about agave, you can find him in the kitchen making habanero salsa, sal de gusano, chapulines, and some of the best black mole you’ll ever taste. You definitely want to eat and drink your way through Oaxaca with Dari.
Origin:
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico
Languages spoken:
English + Spanish
Agave spirit of choice:
Tequila blanco
Estrella Juarez
Tour Host
Estrella was born in Mexico and raised in Yakima, Washington. As an adult, she was called back to Mexico by family, the way of life, the food, spirits, and culture.
She has always loved tequila, but returning to Jalisco brought her in close contact to its place of origin. The variety and history of tequila captivated her, and strengthened her pride in her heritage. As she discovered mezcal and raicilla, she grew to understand how amazing and noble the agave plant is.
Estrella’s background in hospitality led her to leadership roles at Casa Luna (a high-end restaurant in Tlaquepaque), where she often waited on Experience Tequila tour groups. She was always impressed by our guests’ deep interest in agave spirits, as well as how much fun they were having! Since 2017, Estrella has been a star member of our team. Her innate sense of style is equaled by her empathy and social grace, as she effortlessly and intuitively cares for our guests.
As a Tlaquepaque local, Estrella is well versed in local cuisine and art, as well as an absolute expert at shopping in the area. She loves meeting people from all over the world and encouraging them to try new things. She thrives on the opportunity to share her knowledge and discuss agave spirits with others who share her passion.
When she’s not hosting an Experience Agave tour, you can find her raising two great kids, seeking out new experiences in Mexico, clothes shopping for her next look, and adding to her list of places she’d like to travel.
Origin:
Montreal, Canada
Languages spoken:
English, Spanish + French
Agave spirit of choice:
Mezcal/tuxca
IG: @meshicomagical
Lucie Canuel
Tour Host
Lucie was originally drawn to Mexico by the sun, the people, and the “Mexa” dialect. She stayed because of her deep love for the land and its heritage. She has traveled much of the country, absorbing the culture by tasting local products, including agave spirits.
She is a sociologist, a lover of people, and a seeker of knowledge. She aims to glean everything she can from social interactions in both her personal and professional life. This allows her to share in-depth insights about Mexico and its cultures.
Lucie has extensive professional experience in tourism, event management, and educational development. She speaks from her heart and exudes passion about Mexico, its people, and its spirits. She is full of stories and facts, and is always eager for lively dialogue with guests from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
When she’s not hosting an Experience Agave tour, you can find her in the small town of Comala, Colima, giving mezcal tastings, guiding guests on magical experiences in other parts of Mexico and offering consulting/relocation services for those who are contemplating moving to Mexico.