Dulce Vida

While in Austin in 2009, I was introduced to a local who was trying to bootstrap a new tequila into the market called Dulce Vida. He had never worked in marketing or adult beverages and had only secured a few thousand dollars in fundraising. When I saw his initial bottle design and marketing plan, it was clear that this venture was going to need some serious marketing expertise. After providing comprehensive feedback on the brand and some insight on my background, he offered me full creative control of the business and the position of CEO and Co-Founder. The reason I decided to give this brand a go is because I loved the name and the basic concept of a 100 proof, 100% organic tequila. Using a term from the world of home restoration, I felt as though the concept of Dulce Vida had “good bones” with which to work.

The birth of Dulce Vida required my full time and attention. While my partner worked on the operational and financial aspects of the business, I started with a complete repositioning and branding exercise which landed us with the beautiful package design that exists today. Additionally, I was the primary fundraiser and managed to generate $3 Million in our Series A Fund. This allowed me to recruit, train and manage Dulce Vida’s Sales and Marketing Teams as well as create our first sales promotion materials for the distributor and retailer channels. All of this hard work and effort led to a successful acquisition of the brand by a strategic investor (former Deep Eddy Vodka Executive Group.) Today Dulce Vida is a Top 25 Tequila in the United States and one of the fastest growing tequila brands in the nation. Creative Design: Jann Baskett and Ryan Thompson.