Hansel Vaz

#ALTGOA Episode 04 explores the story of the exotic local spirit Feni, and its deep significance as a part of Goan tradition, culture, history & heritage. We speak with Hansel Vaz, Founder of Cazulo Premium Feni, about making Feni fashionable and taking a bit of this truly Goan spirit out to the world. This is about his Feni journey, the brand Cazulo, and how he is innovating with Feni cocktails to capture the imagination of a new set of young urban consumers. This is the story of the alternate Goan spirit.

Feni has been a part of Goa’s culture for centuries. The Portuguese brought cashew (kaju) to Goa and India. I met up with one of Goa’s biggest liquor Dealer – Hansel Vaz, who told me all about this drink, it’s recipe, it’s history, making and tasting. His brand name is Cazulo’s Premium Feni, just in case you want to try it yourself – probably the best feni in Goa.

Watch the 1st video of ‘8 minutes GURU’ season, to know how an old world old fashioned drink ‘feni’ was transformed into a trendy world class drink! Mr. Hansel Vaz speaks about the challenges faced, the techniques followed to change people’s opinion of ‘feni’ making it a highly popular drink today!

In today’s episode of our ongoing Goan food tour series we have embarked on a journey to discover the popular Goan spirit called Feni.

Feni is a traditional liquor of Goa that is distilled from the fermented juice of cashew apple. It has been a part of the Goan Food Tradition for over 400 years.

To understand the spirit closely, we have arrived at a cellar cum distillery owned by Hansel Vaz, a cellar curator, that is situated in the midst of a beautiful cashew orchard at the foothills of Cuelim Monte in South Goa. To take it to a global level, he has created the world’s first Feni Cellar.

When we reached there Hansel gave us a brief history of Feni. He then walked us through different sections of his orchard to enlighten us about the stages of Feni making.

Hansel anecdotes were like a travel in time. With his unique initiative, he wishes to involve both the new-generation Goans and the tourist into a wonderful experience.

The cellar is clearly a visual treat, as it houses numerous multicoloured garrafões (large-bellied glass bottles) to store the Feni. Everything inside the cellar — from the garrafões to its lime-washed walls and the double-layered tiles on the roof – was a manifestation of the Goan aesthetics. The cellar is also much cooler than its surroundings.

As we walked in to taste the three types: cashew, coconut and a root called dukshiri we knew that it would be a memorable experience. Hansel in his fascinating anecdotal style encouraged us to understand the different variants of Feni through smell, palate and bouquet. He also offered some interesting Feni cocktails to portray it’s versatility.

The heady evening ended with some food pairing session featuring Goan things. This spirit was truly a revelation and we clearly admire its 400 plus years old legacy.