Hans Backoff Escudero

[1] Backhoff's father had a farm called Los Alamitos in the Valle de Guadalupe, where they grew fruit trees.

[1][5][6] Living in England for five years and with a scholarship from the Mexican government, he earned his doctorate in food science from the University of Nottingham.

[1][2][4] He returned to Mexico after getting his doctorate, first teaching classes in wine, cheese and beer production at Guaymas campus of Monterrey Tech.

[1] In 1972, he began producing his own wine at home, in very small quantities, an activity he did for fifteen years until he was able to obtain financial backing to open a winery.

[8] Monte Xanic was founded in 1987 (some sources say 1988) with several friends and partners, Tomas B. Fernandez, Manuel Castro, Eric R. W. Hagsater and Richard C.

[9][10] Xanic is from the Cora language and means “the flower that blooms after the first rain,” referring a local desert phenomenon.

[6] Monte Xanic implemented a new irrigation system designed by the University of California, Davis meant to optimize water usage.

[6] From the beginning the winery has focused on quality over quantity; nonetheless, Xanic is the third largest producer of wines in Mexico.

[11] The winery produces about 450,000 liters annually, sold in Mexico, France, Germany, the United States and Canada.

[1] In 2008, his son, Hans Backhoff Guerrero, became general director of Monte Xanic and currently runs the company in that capacity.

[1] Calling Monte Xanic “the project of his life,” Backhoff, was a main driver in the establishment of modern Mexican winemaking.

[1] At the 30th anniversary, he received an award from the Club de Banqueros for his career and his role in developing the local economy.