Yolanda Jimenez is the founder of YOLA Mezcal, Yola Dia, an arts and culture festival and an owner of the boutique hotel Casa Pani in Mexico City. Yola grew up in Mexico City and frequented Oaxaca to visit her grandfather’s agave farm. In college, she left Mexico City to study feminist theory at Cambridge University, where she learned one critical concept: Employing women significantly uplifts communities.

In 2016, she launched YOLA Mezcal with her two business partners, musician Lykke Li and chef Gina Correll Aglietti. In this conversation, we chat with Yola about the travels that left a lasting mark, what it took to launch a spirits company in a male-dominated industry, and how YOLA is not just a brand, but a community.