Alpacas as brand ambassadors? How CHAWAR's agave spirit from Ecuador has ties to Austin

As a 7-year-old Austinite, Eliot Logan-Hines made a pact with his best friend to save the rainforest.

After learning about it in school, he'd grown devoted to the environmental cause, and his passion only grew outside the classroom walls. He hiked at the famous Barton Creek almost every day, where he learned about threats to the natural spring.

Now, at 39 years old, Logan-Hines is making the conservational impact he always wanted in an unexpected way: through his business CHAWAR, an agave spirit from Ecuador's Andes Mountains.

The history behind Ecuador's agave spirit

CHAWAR came to fruition in 2018 after Logan-Hines received a MacArthur Foundation grant to create the drink alongside indigenous women. This partnership with the women serves as the heart of CHAWAR's conservation efforts since typical methods of conservation, such as national parks, aren't feasible in South America where many indigenous people still live.

"I started working with indigenous tribes in the Amazon Rainforest and coming up with a new idea of conservation to say instead of sort of setting aside land and kicking these people off or saying you can't use this land, what if we could work with indigenous people and their knowledge of plants and create a market for a product that comes from that ecosystem," Logan-Hines said.

The women formed MISHKITA, the first all-female agave harvesting co-op in Ecuador, headed by still master Elizabeth Guaguilla.

"It's really a unique experience to be able to work directly with other women," Guaguilla said through translation from Logan-Hines. "MISHKITA is a group of women who are really dedicated to taking care of the earth, taking care of the Pachamama (earth mother), and making sure we can have an excellent product as well."

CHAWAR works hard to help uphold indigenous traditions at risk of disappearing, but the business's influence has gone beyond just the native MISHKITA women. With the extra money from last year's sales, Logan-Hines said the women built a kids' soccer field.

"Our big plan is we want to buy a big piece of land together so we can plant agaves for the future so our children will be able to reap the benefits," Guaguilla said.

But before the soccer field and MISHKITA's overall success, CHAWAR started small. Logan-Hines first sold the agave spirit out of his garage in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Now, he said every bar in his Quito neighborhood sells the agave spirit. He even said it's become a symbol of nationalistic pride, as the agave is part of ancient tradition while distilling it is a fairly new practice.

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CHAWAR's brand ambassadors: Alpacas

In 2020, Logan-Hines began selling CHAWAR in the United States with a focus on Denver, Colorado, and his hometown of Austin, Texas. Then, in 2021, he and his husband — who is also his business partner — purchased alpacas that ended up becoming brand ambassadors for CHAWAR.

"What we realized was that people go crazy for them and also that they really represent the spirit of our spirit, which is that alpacas and llamas come from the Andes," Logan-Hines said. "They come from the same landscapes where the agaves grow on these high volcanoes of the Andes."

CHAWAR has two alpaca herds: one in Ecuador and one in Taos, New Mexico. Logan-Hines began traveling with the alpacas to promote CHAWAR. Last year marked the business's second annual Rio Grande Alpaca Drive, starting in Taos in November and ending in Austin.

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You're invited to an alpaca party

Logan-Hines has held alpaca parties in places like El Paso and Marfa. Once the alpacas reached Austin, they visited Lamar Boulevard Bridge every day around Christmas. They even had a party at Hula Hut.

Now, another party is coming up on Feb. 10 at Cuba512, located on 6800 West Gate Blvd. The party begins at 7 p.m., and the South Austin Salsa Club will provide salsa lessons starting at 8 p.m. Salsa music will play in live sets at 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., and a DJ will then play until close.

Then, on Feb. 12, the alpacas will take to Noah Marion on 1606 S Congress Ave. for Super Bowl pre-gaming. Attendees can enjoy free CHAWAR tasting from 1-4 p.m.

"We hope that every year it kind of grows, and maybe other people bring their alpacas," Logan-Hines joked.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Alpaca party? CHAWAR agave spirit brand ambassadors visit Austin