The men were terrible: Zacapa’s master rum blender, woman in a male-dominated industry

How did you come to study chemistry and food technology? “My father wanted me to become a doctor, but it was not my passion. Studying medicine takes a long time and I wanted to party and socialise with friends. Also I didn’t like the smell of medicine because it is acidic and bitter. In food technology, I love using my nose and palate for sensory analysis.”

What was your first job? “I married a Guatemalan and moved there from Nicaragua, where I’m from. In Guatemala, I worked in a brewery but didn’t like it because beer has a bitter taste. Then I saw a newspaper ad for quality control at Zacapa, so I applied and got the job – and a divorce. At the time I only knew a bit about rum. In Nicaragua, people drink more rum than beer.”

What was it like being the first and only woman in the rum distillery? “The men were terrible! It was challenging for me. Many of the people in quality control didn’t have a lot of responsibility, and the team was all men and they were mostly older. They would look at me and ask, ‘What can this girl teach us?’”

Why did you stick it out?“I knew how I could make things better. I improved every aspect, from quality control and managing the fermentation process to the maturation and ageing process.

“When I was in charge of quality control, I would take batches of rum coming out of distillation and do nosing, sampling and tasting. I would confirm the flavours and aroma portfolio and determine if it was at a peak level or not. After that I was involved in the blending process.”