The traditional name for a person who harvests agave for tequila is jimador.
A jimador specializes in tending and harvesting agave, especially by removing the plant’s long leaves to expose the central piña. The word comes from jima, the Spanish term for the cutting and harvesting process used in agave cultivation.
The work requires skill because the harvester must judge maturity and remove the leaves without wasting the heart. A traditional coa de jima, a long-handled tool with a sharp circular blade, is commonly associated with this labor.
A jimador is not the same as a distiller. The jimador works in the agave fields, while later stages involve cooking, extracting, fermenting, and distilling the plant material. The role remains an important symbol of tequila’s agricultural heritage and is frequently represented in Mexican tequila imagery.