We had the good fortune of connecting with Rodrigo Vargas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rodrigo, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I thought vinegar was strangely neglected in the US. From coffee to beer to yogurts just about every product in the grocery store has become better– better ingredients, better flavor, better packaging. But American vinegars are largely still acid bombs that double as cleaning products. This made zero sense to me not least because vinegars are actually made by fermenting alcohol. We’ve have a renaissance of in American craft alcohol so I couldn’t figure out why we had such great American beers, wines, and ciders and such poor American vinegars. I saw an opportunity to create great American vinegars and set out to make American Vinegar Works the premium American vinegar of choice for home cooks and professional chefs.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are creating vinegars that are truly unique and material step above supermarket vinegars. To do this we had to partnered with two universities to recreate a special vinegar making machine and process from 1823 that prioritizes flavor over speed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Boston and encourage friends to visit in the fall. A week here would include sailing around the harbor– either on a boat from the many community boating clubs (Courageous Sail is one of my favorites– their main mission is making sailing more accessible for lower income kids) to see Boston and islands from the water. This is a very pretty and walkable city so I would encourage folks to walk from the South End through to the Public Gardens and all the way over to Harvard Square in Cambridge with some pit stops at local brewery taprooms. On the food front, I think that seafood is one of the things that Boston does best. Give Neptune Oyster or Little Whale a try for fantastic takes one classic New England seafood.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life partner Josh pushed me to take the jump from corporate jobs to doing my own thing. I don’t think he realized how much he was going to have to hear about vinegar since then but has been very supportive throughout the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.

Website: https://www.americanvinegarworks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanvinegarworks/

Image Credits
American Vinegar Works LLC

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