Learn Brands Partners with PKGD Group to Launch PKGD University, Including the Industry's First Raicilla Certification

Mathew Benoit
4 days ago
3 min read

The agave spirits category is maturing fast. Shelf space is tighter, competition is fiercer, and the brands that win are the ones whose stories get told accurately at the point of sale. That takes more than great liquid. It takes trained, confident professionals behind the bar and behind the counter. Official Press Release.

Bottle and glass on a wooden table amid agave fields. Text: PKGD University. Master the heritage, certify the career. QR code shown.

Today, we're proud to announce the launch of PKGD University, a professional credentialing platform built in partnership with PKGD Group, one of the leading importers of heritage, producer-owned agave spirits in the United States.

PKGD University is now live at pkgdgroup.com/pkgd-university.

Why This Partnership Matters

PKGD Group has built its reputation on transparency, producer ownership, and authentic production. Their portfolio includes G4 Tequila, El Ateo, Cazcanes, Mezcal Ultramundo, Mezcal Palomo, El Acabo Raicilla, and Asil, the world's first aged raicilla. In 2025, PKGD posted record-breaking growth across the board.

Grid of 12 labeled tequila and mezcal logos with designs and textures. Texts include "PKGD University," "Ariesgado Ancestral," and "El Viejito."

But growth creates a challenge: how do you make sure that every bartender, every spirits buyer, and every retail associate can communicate the production story and quality standards that set these brands apart?

That's where Learn Brands comes in.

We worked directly with PKGD Group and their producers to build a rigorous, category-specific curriculum covering tequila, mezcal, and raicilla. These aren't surface-level marketing decks or brand brochures repackaged as "training." They are structured educational courses with real assessments, designed to give professionals genuine category expertise.

White text "Raicilla 101" with a plant design above. Below is "PKGD University" in yellow on a black background.

The Industry's First Raicilla Certification

One of the most significant pieces of this launch is the debut of the first formal raicilla education program in the spirits industry. Raicilla earned its Denomination of Origin in 2019, and the category is expanding quickly. But until now, there has been no standardized curriculum to help trade professionals understand what raicilla is, how it's produced, or what distinguishes Sierra and Costa styles.

PKGD University's Raicilla 101 course fills that gap. It covers over 400 years of history, the wild agave species that define the category, the Filipino-style wooden stills unique to raicilla production, and the flavor profiles that separate raicilla from tequila and mezcal. Professionals who complete the course earn a verified digital credential they can add to their LinkedIn profile.

What Graduates Earn with PKGD University

Every PKGD University course includes a verified digital badge and certificate upon completion. These credentials are downloadable and LinkedIn-ready, giving bartenders, spirits buyers, and retail professionals a tangible career asset that demonstrates category expertise to employers and peers.

In an industry where staff turnover is high and product knowledge walks out the door every time someone leaves, verified credentials help professionals build a portable record of what they know.

Collage with agave field, man in hat, tequila bottle labeled "El Ateo," hands holding glass, wooden barrels, and man in formal attire.

How Learn Brands Built It

Learn Brands is a training and engagement platform that connects brands, retailers, and distributors through structured digital education. We build course content in direct collaboration with brand partners and their production teams, so the training reflects what actually happens at the distillery rather than what a marketing team decided to emphasize.

The image describes six steps of "The Ancestral Process" for crafting tequila, including Jima, Stone-Cooked, Ancestral Crushing, Living Fermentation, Distillation, and Aging, with drawings illustrating each stage.

For PKGD University, that meant working with heritage producers across Jalisco and Oaxaca to develop curriculum that meets their standards. The result is a platform that scales the producer's voice directly to the frontline professionals who represent their brands every day.

Our platform also supports incentivized learning, so knowledge keeps pace as brands grow. That's a scalable answer to two of the biggest operational challenges in hospitality and retail: education gaps and staff turnover.

Agave harvesting and processing in tequila production. Includes plants, distillery equipment, barrels, and workers in rustic settings.

For Brands and Importers: PKGD University

If you're a brand, importer, or distributor looking at what PKGD University represents and thinking about how something similar could work for your portfolio, that's exactly the kind of project we build every day. Learn Brands works across beverage alcohol, cannabis, and other regulated industries to create training programs that connect your production story to the people selling your product.

Book a demo to learn more about building your own branded training platform.

Enroll Now

Spirits professionals and retail partners can enroll in PKGD University today at pkgdgroup.com/pkgd-university.

Learn Brands is a Denver-based training and engagement platform connecting brands, retailers, and distributors through education, compliance, rewards, and user-generated content. Learn more at learnbrands.com.