Real Women Drink, and now Make Their own Tequila

We make no bones about the fact that tequila is our favorite drink. Lets face it, we make it, we drink it, we enjoy it, and we love it when you take home a bottle of Señor Rio tequila! We also haven’t been shy about telling you how popular tequila has gotten lately. While we are certainly proud of the fact tequila is one of the fastest growing spirits in America, there’s something else we’re quite enthusiastic about. Behind this quiet revolution in the spirits industry, women are leading the charge, and as a women owned and operated business, we couldn’t be more proud to be part of this revolution!

Female Entrepreneurs are changing the game!

One of the unique traditions about tequila is that so many of the recipes are handcrafted, and passed down from generation to generation. In a recent New York Times article, Melly Barajas Cardenas recounted the story of changing her career from a clothing designer in Guadalajara to making tequila. While she admits she knew nothing about the drink, she got to work, and immediately fell in love with the process. Now, she is one of only a handful of women owned tequilas, named Raza Azteca based out of Jalisco, Mexico. There’s also another name you’ve probably heard by now getting into the tequila business, and that is Kendall Jenner. Being a part of a famous family notwithstanding, Jenner has thrown her hat in the ring with a host of other celebrity endorsements in the tequila industry. Dubbed 818 Tequila, Kendall Jenner claims to have spent years trying to perfect the perfect tasting tequila for the trendy youth circles that she frequently occupies. Whether her tequila will be a success remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, with the Kardashian and Jenner family getting into the tequila business, you know it is becoming mainstream in popular culture today!

Inspiration is only the first step

(Insert photo of Debbie by the bar in her hat)

Debbie Medina Gach, Co-founder and CEO of the award winning Señor Rio tequila can definitely relate, as she shares the story of how she was inspired to change careers from being a Real Estate broker to tequila owner and chase her dreams.

She and her late husband Jonathan Gach left their careers and put their hearts, soul and cash into starting their tequila company producing the brand named Senor Rio. The idea came after they visited her dad, known as Senor Rio in Mexico. They were reunited after three decades. It was an emotional reunion and to break the ice Senor Rio offered them his moonshine tequila. That was 2006, The Gach’s made up her mind to bring her father’s process to market a three-generation-old family recipe. Senor Rio tequila is a tribute to Debbie’s dad and debuted in 2009. The couple worked continuously hand selling one bottle at a time self-distributing in the Arizona desert earning the name of “Love in a bottle”

We knew immediately we had something special.” Aside from the fact Debbie is committed to making a quality product, her passion for family and togetherness is also a big aspect of why she loves making tequila. “When you look inside the bottle, behind the front label it reads, ‘Sharing tequila,’ and behind the back label it reads, ‘is sharing life,’' Debbie says. “That’s because we believe this is a tequila that should not be hurried. You want to sip it with those that you care about, your family, your close friends and create your memories — share your life story. It is a tequila to bring people together, especially generations.”

Recently, Debbie was interviewed by the Phoenix Business Journal and shared how her company is all about family.

Breaking barriers, and expectations

Currently, according to Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council, there are 152 tequila producers, and only 12 of these are women owned. Facts like these don’t deter the tequila producing women of the world however, in fact you could say it’s a source of inspiration. “It’s a man’s world. When I started, people told me: ‘A woman in this industry? You will not make it.’ I grew off of those comments” Cardenas stated in her NYT interview. Debbie also had similar feelings when asked about being in a male dominated industry. “I never let it bother me “ she said, adding “when you know you’ve got a quality product, everything else is just details!”

Support these pioneers by treating yourself!

Now that you’ve heard an inspiring tale or two of how these brave women left their careers to start something new and ambitious, why not help yourself to some of the best tequila available! Señor Rio tequila is available at Total Wine stores across 21 states.where spirits are sold. However, if your state doesn’t have a Total Wine, well, you may just have to book your next trip to Jalisco and see for yourself how this award winning tequila is made! If a trip however isn’t in your near future, you can always visit www.senorrio.com for information about the tequila, cocktail recipes, and more!