Season 2, Ep. 5 | The Wonderfully Acidic American Vinegar Works
In this episode, we sit down with Rodrigo Vargas, founder of American Vinegar Works. Rodrigo’s story goes beyond vinegar as just an acid — it’s about rediscovering and revitalizing a craft deeply rooted in history and tradition. He shares how his passion for craft fermentation, dating back to the 1800s, inspired him to create a company that elevates vinegar as an essential and sophisticated ingredient.
We explore Rodrigo’s transition from his corporate career to entrepreneurship, the hands-on challenges of starting at farmers markets, and the uphill battle of scaling a craft food business amid a pandemic. Rodrigo’s journey is a testament to patience, persistence, and the power of honoring craftsmanship in today’s fast-paced food scene.
This conversation offers insights into building a business grounded in authenticity and quality, showing that real craft and commitment can carve a unique path in a crowded market. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a food enthusiast, Rodrigo’s story delivers valuable lessons on resilience, innovation, and the simple joy found in great ingredients.
APPLE | SPOTIFY | AMAZON
Show Notes
Rodrigo Vargas is an entrepreneur, food innovator, and the Founder & CEO of American Vinegar Works. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School, he spent over 15 years leading product development and customer strategy for global brands like American Express and Asurion. The challenges of a food system focused on industrial efficiency at the expense of quality became the foundation for his commitment to reviving traditional American foodways.
He eventually traded his corporate career for a new challenge: tackling the forgotten corner of the American pantry. His 'aha' moment came from an unlikely source—a 19th-century encyclopedia—which inspired him to bring a 200-year-old vinegar-making technology back to life. Today, from a historic mill in New England, he runs a nationally recognized brand with a straightforward mission: to craft exceptional, flavorful vinegars and prove that some things are still worth the wait.
Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:
Craftsmanship and patience are critical to creating quality food products.
Entrepreneurship demands balancing passion with real-world business challenges.
Authenticity and community-building support sustainable business growth.
Quality and purpose differentiate a brand in competitive markets.
…and more.
More About Rodrigo Vargas:
Transcript
More Elephant Intro
[00:00:38] Jason Rudman: My guest today started a company with the belief that vinegar was “no art, all acid,” and the company that he started also went back into the eighteen hundreds to relearn and recreate through craft fermentation, the ability to deliver amazing vinegar to our tables.
And so I'm delighted to welcome Rodrigo Vargas to talk to us about his wonderfully, sour story of American Vinegar Works.
Rodrigo, welcome to the podcast.
[00:01:14] Rodrigo Vargas: Great to be with you. Thank you so much for the invitation and I'm always happy to talk vinegar, but especially so with someone from my previous corporate life. So, it's great to be here.
Read more…
