A year has passed since the Almanaque del Futuro visited the Castel de Oro Farm in the Mezquital Valley, meeting Gregorio Schäpers with his natural born inventor’s impetus. Two motivating experiences, “Menthi Goyo” and “The sun burns for free” have emerged from these moments of sharing. Within the framework of a new Almanaque stay in Mexico, it has been possible to visit Goyo and his processes once again. Here are some aspects that reflect the dynamics and new milestones in these highly enriching transforming processes.
Pilot plant in the final stretch
The solar reflector park on the farm has grown to 20 parabolic dishes and only needs to finish the installation of 2 of a total of 3 tanks that store the steam, which is the form in which the energy generated by the concentrated solar power system is stored. For Gregorio it is of great importance to finish the installation of the pilot plant in its dimensions that also allows to encourage potential future users who have a higher energy demand. With these last details, the door is being opened to provoke the probability of replications and the installation of solar reflector systems in productive enterprises.
Medals and new flavors
The distillate of the maguey, Pulcal, has climbed from silver medal in 2022 to gold, recognition awarded at the “Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Spirits Selection”; annual competition for wines and distillates. The eighty expert tasters awarded Pulcal the top prize at last year’s competition (2023). The range of distillates, creations of the Castel de Oro Estate, with Gregorio at the helm and produced with energy generated from solar reflectors, has grown; Pulcal, distilled from the mead of maguey and Xamanti, distilled from the Nopal prickly pear have a new team member: Sunshiner Pulcal which is a distillate that, faithful to Mexican tradition, pays homage to the spicy, having as an ingredient striped chili, endemic to the state of Hidalgo in Mexico.
Local fans
The community of followers, thanks to the non-stop feeding of social networks continues to grow; of the more than five thousand followers on Facebook, more than half are people from the Mezquital Valley area. This circumstance, intentional by Gregorio, has opened the door for the local population to gradually change their perception of the ancestral. In posters announcing events in the Mezquital Valley as well as in calendars of local businesses, the maguey is experiencing a renaissance, becoming, thanks to the success of Pulcal and maguey honey, a symbol and pride of culture and of this territory.
Customers and potential partners
Currently there are 3 families who deliver more than 100 liters of maguey mead daily for processing at Finca Castel de Oro. The commercialization of both the distillates and the maguey honey is growing steadily and with it the possibility for Gregorio to offer more families the safe purchase of maguey mead. These are important steps towards the purpose of oxygenating the millenary indigenous agriculture of the zone, giving an environmentally balanced use of the maguey, also of the nopal cactus. There has been no lack of approaches and even offers to Finca Castel de Oro to enter into a partnership to produce and commercialize distillates on a global level. Calmly analyzing the advantages and shadows, Gregorio sees these approaches with good reason as proof of the relevance of his initiated processes.
Optimizing energy efficiency
In our world with solar panels, current technology allows converting slightly less than 20% of solar energy into electrical energy. With the solar harvesting technology, the energy use is close to 60% in thermal energy for solar distillation and cooking of maguey honey. Complementing the efforts to complete the pilot park of Scheffler-type solar reflectors, another project is underway to promote the use of this technology, which is highly friendly, efficient and economical: designing a module of collectors and tank, designed in terms of their capacities to supply the energy demand of a bakery.
Increasingly tangled
The Almanac of the Future, with the purpose of achieving an ever-greater co-direction, is pleased that Gregorio has accepted to be part of the Almanac’s Complicity Council. Once again, thank you!
The text was elaborated, based on conversations in situ by Michelle Ruiz, coordinator of the RGS RBU pilot project and Jorge Krekeler (coordinator of the Almanac of the Future – facilitator of Misereor on behalf of Agiamondo) in March 2024. Many thanks to Agustina for having received us, giving us the gift of her time and to Michelle for having accepted the co-authorship of this text.
Authors:
- Jorge Krekeler | jorge.krekeler@posteo.de
Design:
- Gabriela Avendaño
- Ida Peñaranda
Photos:
- Jorge Krekeler
Contact information regarding the documented experience:
- Gregor Schapers
- Facebook: Gregor Schapers
- Youtube: Goyo México
- Instagram: dongoyoqueonda
- Correo: gs@trinysol.com
- Trinysol
- Facebook: Trinysol
- http://www.fincacasteldeoro.com/
Edition:
april 2024
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