As any successful entrepreneur can tell you, there should be an element of fun and pleasure to any business venture. This mix of business and pleasure can ensure that there is a silver lining present when you’re mired in the nitty-gritty of running a business.
Eleven20 Tequila founders Alec and Ana Tesa have perfected this symbiotic relationship. Together, they seamlessly meld the seriousness of building a high-end tequila brand with a good helping of fun.
The quest for the perfect tequila
Ana and Alec Tesa were never liquor aficionados until they got together. “Tequila is something we started dabbling into when we first got together. We were mesmerized with the amount of bars being dedicated only to Tequila, along with Tequila being the only upper in alcohol,” Alec said in a recent interview with Medium.
The couple formed a mutual love for the spirit, but often came away from a night out disappointed with the tequila offerings. “We have tried hundreds of tequilas over the years, but we could never find the ‘perfect’ one,” says Ana.
This quest for perfection led them to take matters into their own hands, and Eleven20 Tequila was born. The result of hard work and a lot of trial and error, Eleven20 Tequila brings a smoother taste to the table, born out of research into the tequila-making process.
“It has been a difficult process, but partnering with some of the best artisans in the tequila industry has allowed us to create a product that tastes extraordinary for everyone who experiences it,” says Alec. Eleven20 is made from 100% pure agave and is produced using natural ingredients and traditional processing methods in order to ensure the purest and healthiest tequila possible.
The company is committed to upholding the highest standards and the long-held distilling traditions from Jalisco, Mexico. Here, their agave fields stand in the shadow of the Tequila Volcano and are fed with volcanic minerals in the rich soil. Every step of the process — from cultivation to harvesting, to distilling and packaging — pays homage to these traditions, abandoning the quick, modern processes for a more slow and deliberate approach.
The pleasure of working together
Working with one’s spouse isn’t for everyone, but when it works it can lead to a wild amount of success — and make the process of work a lot more fun. The Tesas’ foundation for their product is rooted in love and the couple possessed a singular mindset when it came to bringing their product to life and to the market. “We love tequila and our passion to develop Eleven20 Tequila was established under the principles of persistence, patience, and our belief in fate to develop an extraordinary tasting tequila for all to experience,” says Ana.
The Tesas set out to appeal to a younger generation of tequila lovers, proving that tequila could be far more than a shot drink, but more of a “sipper”, like gin or whiskey. Their target customers are those who don’t normally drink tequila, hoping that Eleven20’s crisp and clean taste will appeal to a whole new generation of top-shelf liquor lovers.
“Only the highest-quality premium tequilas are suitable as ‘sipping tequilas’ where you can sip on them neat,” Alec told USA Wire. “Some drinkers may add a bit of water or ice to their taste, but Eleven20 Tequila is smooth and delicious enough that it doesn’t require anything more.”
A good mix
For the Tesas, business and pleasure naturally go hand-in-hand because they love what they do. According to them, now is a great time to bring a new tequila brand to the market as well.
Tequila has been growing in popularity in the United States and has become the second-best-selling liquor in the world behind vodka. For the Tesas, never compromising on quality or taste is synonymous with their entire brand. Eleven20 currently offers a variety of tequila types — including Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and Mezcal — and its popularity has quickly spread as they ship bottles across the US.
Ana and Alec Tesa are head-over-heels in love with the tequila they have created and intend on continuing to make the business a mix of “serious and seriously fun.” They have spent the past year bringing their tequila to a number of gatherings, such as Miami Boat Shows and the Palm Beach Yacht Club, debuting their labor of love with the most discerning spirit drinkers. The couple is excited about what the future holds for the tequila they created from passion and love for the natural distilling process.
As the pair told Medium during their recent interview, they are dedicated to ultimate success: “Failing is not in our vocabulary and simply not an option. If there’s a will, there’s a way. Our drive is always there with everything we do.”