Kilinga Bacanora
ELEVATING THE CRAFT OF BACANORA MAKING
Helping a distilled agave company in Sonora, Mexico define its purpose and take its place on the international stage.
The Challenge
Articulate Kilinga’s purpose and draft a strategic roadmap to help the company grow and export its product globally.
The Outcome
Helping a once forbidden agave distilled alcohol find its place in the world with a unified vision as the foundation for a new brand identity, packaging, campaign strategy, and a partnership with The Beverage Agency, Colangelo and Jenna Reback.
Services
Branding
“Sonora looks like a country. Extensive like Uruguay, but with the shape of an extended water tortilla, or an infinite starry sky beautified with plains and mountains, desert and beach, shrimp and deer. Percherón and sobaquero state: to go all over it requires a life, to write about it two.” Jorge Pedro Uribe Llamas — Novísima grandeza mexicana
300 years ago the Opatas, the three indigenous peoples in the mountainous northeast of Sonora tasted the spicy, caustic alcohol, and named it Baacanori. Baa meaning water. Canori meaning Chiltepín, a wild pepper variety spread by wild birds in the Sonoran desert. Not mezcal. Not tequila. The native spirit of Sonora, Kilinga Bacanora may only be made here, in our desert home.
“Serious, tall, thoughtful, tenacious, disciplined, the Guaymense Plutarco Elías Calles, the enemy of the mountains, the one who turned wine into poison, labeled Bacanora into the cause of havoc, of prison, and death. The festive took on a clandestine taste, the taste of pineapple mixed with fear, courage and mourning for those who died for doing it, or for those who did well, jail for three or four days without eating, the effort for each one of the bottles that ended up in the wrong hands, in the corrupt mouths of the police, who after hanging or imprisoning, rinsed their saliva in their own sins.” Fernanda Ballesteros, author — Bacanora: Forbidden water from a stretch of desert.
“I tried Bacanora around 14 years ago at a time where the state’s governor used to organize horseback rides throughout the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The first Bacanora I tried was distilled on a patio and had a very strong flavor. That made me go on a search for the best Bacanora ever made. I tried more than 40 different types of Bacanora from every corner of the Sonoran mountains and none of them met my expectations. So I decided to make my own. This land where I grew up in, the land that gave me and my sisters a happy and carefree childhood, became the land of my dreams in my adulthood.” Rodrigo Bojorquez Bours — Founder and Maestro Bacanorero
Kilinga, la señora, and her son Rodrigo, the maestro bacanorero.
WHY BACANORA? Refreshingly drinkable, poignantly different, it’s a sensuous potion that will entice, tantalize, and allow you to lose yourself and make you believe. WHY NOW? It is time to bring to life Bacanora’s unconventional allure to the world, so people can discover and distinguish it from tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits.
Let’s talk about new beginnings. From friends gathering- to the start of a new relationship. Let’s talk about the beginning of the Bacanora trend. It begins with Kilinga: our inspiration and the heart of our family. From seed to sip, Kilinga Bacanora is crafted to make her proud. Kilinga is “La Señora’s” nickname: qué linda, how lovely. Her passion, joy for life and relentless pursuit of excellence are all reflected in her namesake.
In art, literature, and dreams, the desert symbolizes purification. A return to the true essence. Double distilled and crystalline, Kilinga Bacanora brings this metaphor to life. Each element composing the collage represents a different brand value. Kilinga’s Brand Identity and Packaging reflect untamed beauty, wilderness, and the irrepressible in a collage. It satisfies the need to explore both outward and inward. To be challenged and stimulated, but also to experience awe and pleasure.
