Spirits to Sustainability: Turning Industry Waste Into Impact with Eric Brass, The Sustainable Agave Co
From Tequila Waste to Purpose: How One Founder Turned Agave Leftovers Into a Sustainability Movement
What begins as a celebration often leaves something behind. For Eric Brass, that leftover was impossible to ignore. While building a successful tequila brand, he found himself staring at mountains of discarded agave fibers, the byproduct of tequila production, and asking a question that would change everything: what if this waste could become something meaningful?
That question led Eric Brass down an unexpected path, from the world of spirits and finance into sustainable materials and circular innovation. Today, as Founder and CEO of The Sustainable Agave Company, Eric is transforming agave waste into compostable straws, cutlery, and products designed to replace single use plastics, while supporting rural communities in Mexico along the way.
Seeing the Problem No One Was Talking About
Eric’s journey into sustainability did not start with an environmental mission. It started with tequila. As a co-founder of Tromba Tequila, he saw firsthand how agave is harvested and processed. For every liter of tequila produced, massive amounts of fibrous waste remain.
“There is a huge amount of waste created for every liter of tequila that’s made,” Eric explained. Estimates suggest up to 1.5 million tons of agave waste are produced each year. Traditionally, that waste is dumped in rural landfills or burned on site, practices that harm the environment and disproportionately impact nearby farming communities.
“There had to be a better way to use this waste,” Eric said. Once he saw it, he could not unsee it.
From Finance and Tequila to Sustainable Innovation
Eric’s ability to reframe the problem came from an unexpected place. Before tequila, he worked in finance, analyzing companies across industries and learning how to spot inefficiencies and opportunities.
“What I learned was how to frame problems and find solutions within those problems,” he shared.
That mindset helped him bridge worlds that rarely intersect. Tequila production, material science, sustainability, and hospitality. Instead of outsourcing the solution, Eric and his team partnered with scientists, including researchers from the University of Guadalajara, to develop proprietary formulations using agave fibers.
“We didn’t want to take something off the shelf and slap our brand on it,” he said. “We wanted to build something better for the environment and better for the end user.”
Fixing the Straw Problem Without Creating New Ones
Straws were the starting point, but not because Eric believed they were the biggest environmental issue. They were simply the most visible.
“We knew there was a straw problem in the world, plastic versus paper, and neither option was great,” he explained.
Paper straws disintegrate quickly and often require multiple replacements. Plastic straws last forever. Agave fibers, however, are naturally strong and mimic wood pulp, making them ideal for compostable alternatives that actually work.
The result was a durable, cost effective agave straw that does not get soggy and is both home and industrial compostable. Today, the company is approaching its one billionth straw sold, a milestone that proves sustainable products can scale when designed thoughtfully.
Building a Circular Economy That Includes People
For Eric, sustainability is not just about materials. It is about people. The Sustainable Agave Company partners directly with distilleries and farmers, creating a win win system where waste becomes a resource.
“The environment wins, the communities win, and the distilleries win,” he said.
The company also donates one percent of sales to programs that protect endangered wild agave species and support reforestation efforts in Mexico. It is a reminder that even well intentioned industries can disrupt ecosystems, and that responsibility does not stop at production.
Why Conscious Consumerism Is Not a Trend
Throughout the conversation, one theme kept returning: sustainability is no longer optional. From bars and restaurants to global distributors and consumer brands, Eric sees a growing appetite for smarter solutions.
“I’ve never had a customer say, ‘We’re done with sustainability. We don’t need help,’” he said.
The challenge is not whether businesses want to do better. It is how to do it without sacrificing usability, experience, or economic reality. Eric believes innovation, not compromise, is the answer.
Small, agile teams can move faster, rethink assumptions, and build products that make doing the right thing easier.
Turning Waste Into Opportunity
Eric Brass’s story is a powerful reminder that innovation often begins with discomfort. With noticing what others overlook. With asking better questions instead of accepting broken systems.
By turning agave waste into purpose, he has created more than a product line. He has built a model for how businesses can align profit, sustainability, and community impact, without sacrificing quality or scale.
To hear the full conversation and dive deeper into Eric’s journey, listen to this episode of The Wild Party Podcast. You can also learn more about his work and explore the products at sustainableagavecompany.com.
