Novo Fogo was founded in 2009 by Dragos Axinte – a Romanian entrepreneur who moved to the U.S. when he was 18 years old. After taking a business trip to Brazil, he and his wife, Emily, became captivated by the country’s passion for soccer and their national spirit: cachaça. He saw the production of a cachaça as a unique business opportunity that could also be a catalyst for positive environmental change. Whilst in search of something that was handcrafted, organic and ethically sourced, he met Torres Viruel – a former engineer who had founded his own distillery – and Dr. Agenor Maccari – an agricultural scientist and master distiller.
