interview with YOLA JIMENEZ by EMILIEN CRESPO photography by OLIVIER ZAHM mexico city native yola jimenez has been producing handcrafted organic mezcal for 12 years. in 2016, she launched yola mezcal, a women-owned mezcal brand that focuses on preserving traditional techniques while promoting the economic independence of women across borders. EMILIEN CRESPO — How did you get into creating your own mezcal brand, Yola Mescal? YOLA JIMENEZ — Well, my grandfather made mezcal, and he was the only person in my family I really liked and who seemed to have fun. Everyone else was quite Catholic. I wanted to do something about where I was from and about my childhood. By that time, I had lived abroad for eight years, and I also wanted to resolve, psychologically and emotionally, my relationship to where I came from and my identity and where I had been living. EMILIEN CRESPO — You went…