Clase Azul

Arturo Lomeli was 23 years old, running a bar in Guadalajara, when he founded Clase Azul in 1997. After an earlier failed tequila venture, Lomeli completed marketing studies and approached the project differently: rather than competing on agave provenance alone, he positioned Clase Azul as a fully Mexican luxury proposition, with the spirit and the packaging forming a single cultural artefact. The agave still comes from Jalisco's volcanic blue-agave country — the conventional tequila heartland — but the distinctive painted ceramic decanters are produced in Santa María Canchesda, a small town in central Mexico, by Mazahua-community artisans.

In 2007 Lomeli established Tradición Mazahua, a dedicated ceramic workshop where the Clase Azul decanters are made. Around 350 artisans work on the bottles using traditional Mazahua techniques. Over 80% of the workforce are women, many from low-income or unschooled backgrounds; Clase Azul provides childcare, school tuition, meals and transport on top of wages — an unusual labour model in the spirits industry. The range covers Plata (white), Reposado, Añejo, Extra Añejo, plus the La Pinta pomegranate-and-tequila liqueur.