Sharla and Leo Ortega planted 50 agave plants on a steep hillside behind their Murrieta home to stop erosion. The couple runs Eselo Spirits, one of California's first vertically integrated agave spirit producers.

The Ortegas' story landed on Spectrum Local News's "In Focus SoCal" in an episode published Friday, Sept. 25. Host Tanya McRae visited the couple to examine how California farmers have turned to agave as drought reshapes what grows in the state.

Sharla Ortega, a fourth-generation California farmer with a background in law and culinary arts, and Leo Ortega, a mechanical engineer with an MBA, didn't set out to build a spirits company. The 50 Agave americana plants they put in the ground kept multiplying. Leo Ortega told the Associated Press in November 2023 that the plants thrived on neglect: "When we were watering them, they didn't really grow much, and the ones that weren't watered were actually growing better."

The farm grew to thousands of plants. Each Agave americana takes more than 12 years to mature, according to Eselo's website. The agave is grown in Murrieta and distilled in Joshua Tree.

The first batch sold out.

Eselo released that initial small batch in 2022, CBS 8 reported. The spirit, made from 100% Agave americana with no artificial additives, retails for $260 a bottle through online retailer Uncrate Supply.

The operation fits into a broader push to establish California-grown agave spirits as a category. California enacted a law requiring spirits labeled "California agave" be made solely from plants grown in the state, the AP reported. The California Agave Council, which lists Eselo as a member, held its fourth annual symposium in Santa Barbara in March 2026. Eselo was among the producers present.

Stuart Woolf, president of the California Agave Council, said at the March symposium that the industry is building its own identity. He told the Santa Barbara Independent the goal is to create spirits distinct from Mexican tequila and mezcal, rooted in California's own soils and climate.

Sharla Ortega has said Murrieta's climate gives the farm an edge, citing the marine layer and the plants' fire resistance and erosion control.

The "In Focus SoCal" episode airs at 11 a.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. Sundays on Spectrum Local News.