Viche is Black Colombia in a Bottle - Lizeth Martinez's Story

VICHE (pronounced bi-che) is a type of alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by Afro-Colombians on the pacific coast. In Sept 2021 viche was declared a part of Colombia’s intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO - Yet many people have never even heard of, much less tried the drink.

On this episode of the Colombia Podcast, we talk with Lizeth Martinez, the owner and marketing force behind the fast-growing viche brand - Viche Canao. She's also our first Afro-colombian woman on the show!

Lizeth is from Chocó, a region in Western Colombia seemingly forgotten and ignored by the Colombian government. El Chocó is known for its predominately Black population and is considered one of the poorest parts of Colombia. Lizeth's family and many others families in Choco have made viche in their homes for many generations. However, only now are they able to legally commercialize the drink. Due to a lack of money and marketing know how in el Choco, most of the families are unable to take advantage of the commercialization of the drink. Lizeth is one of the people working hard to change that.

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