She also points out that, pandemic or no pandemic, the industry faces many challenges that have intersecting roots – not just environmental sustainability, but also poverty, and a lack of regulation.

“There are high costs for the producers, especially those who suffer from marginalisation and poverty,” says Ms Luna.

When it comes to running her brand, last year she converted most of her sales to home deliveries in Mexico City.

Another mezcal producer, Leyla Daw, took to Zoom conference calls to drum up business last year.

“When the pandemic hit I was really scared for my business,” says Ms Daw, whose label is called Eterna Libertad. “I was getting ready to put my mezcal in restaurants, in retail stores, and I had to put that all on hold.”

“Nobody was buying”, she says.

However, the entrepreneur says she now believes “this pandemic came into my life to show me something – that people want to know about mezcal”.

She realised that in the pandemic “everyone is behind the screen”. So she took her product to Zoom, hosting online tastings for anyone who wanted to join, and selling bottles via an online drinks store.