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Ron Cooper
Distiller
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
From Ojai, California, to mezcal-producing villages in Mexico, the throughline in this work is agave, authorship, and the handling of origin. Ron Cooper is best understood in the trade as an importer-builder who placed village production, mezcalero labor, and the culture of Mexican Native American producers at the center of the bottle rather than behind it. “I have three hobbies, art, mezcal and cars.” Ron has said.
The Route
Art training at Chouinard Art Institute gave Ron Cooper a working language for form, material, and presentation before his attention turned to mezcal. In 1990, that eye for structure carried into the founding of Del Maguey, where the commercial task was tied to a craft problem: how to bring mezcal to a wider audience without stripping it from village identity. In 1995, the establishment of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal made that position explicit. As founder and president, Cooper built the company around distinct village expressions and the traditions of mezcal production that give them their meaning.
The Work Today
Traditional mezcal production remains the working center of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal. As founder and president, Ron Cooper works with mezcaleros, the artisans responsible for making the spirit, with an emphasis on keeping batches tied to their origins. The operating premise is preservation and protection: support the culture of Mexican Native American producers, maintain ancestral crafting processes, and give those makers a route to share their work beyond their own villages.
Signature
Signature spirits include Dichos series and Corona Bars.
Accolades
Recognition from the James Beard Award placed Ron Cooper’s mezcal work inside the broader culinary trade. The award matters here because it signals a shift in how mezcal was being received: not as a generic spirits category, but as a craft rooted in producers, villages, and traditional methods. Art and agave remain linked in this body of work, but the durable contribution is practical: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal helped frame mezcal through origin, maker, and preservation rather than abstraction.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ron
What does Ron Cooper currently do?
Ron Cooper is founder of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal.
Where did Ron Cooper train or study?
Ron Cooper trained at Chouinard Art Institute.
What recognition has Ron Cooper received?
James Beard Award.
