Building a Premium Tequila Brand: Insights from Katy O'Donnell

Hello everybody. Happy Thursday afternoon, July 2nd, getting ready for the 4th of July holiday and nothing better than a little bit of tequila to start that celebration. I'm sure many of you are probably going to start probably this afternoon. I'm not sure if Friday's actually a holiday. It probably is for many. For some of us, we'll continue to work. Katie, welcome to Drink Up Podcast. So great to have you, man. We talked a few weeks ago and we're finally here, which is amazing.

Perfect. Yeah. I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me, Sam.

Yeah. Yeah. If I could just, just before we get started, I have just a couple callouts of some folks we always call out. And for some reason I did not have my water. Sorry, Jay, but we have Freebird Waters, our unofficial sponsor. We call them out every week and we'll continue to do so, but Jay's on quite a journey. He's opened up North America, started out in Georgia. Now he's Florida. He's Walmart. Seems to be everywhere. And it actually is the song Freebird. Believe it or not, he has the rights to that to use that on his label, which blows my mind that we have a product called Freebird that he utilizes. So Jay, thank you for your continued sponsorship. Bev Assets with Alicia Vargo. Thank you, Alicia Vargo. Bev Assets helps brands, you know, go to market. You know, if you need a distributor or customers, uh, that's certainly what you would do with Bev Assets, do the commercial strategy, which informs a route to market and go-to-market plans. And then my co-host, uh, Adam Smith, which he seems to always like not show up on these, uh, weekday podcasts. So Katie, you, you get to miss, uh, but Adam, but hopefully you can catch him on the next round because you'll be forever alumni. So thank you, uh, Adam with Ailish Advising. If you think about anything that would go into Um, a can, he's operations. He worked for BevSource. So, you know, cans, lids, formulators, co-packers, uh, he's an expert in that space. And then, uh, Rocks Advising with, uh, Ryan Hellerman, who's a community of professionals. Ryan specializes in logistics and has some expertise there. So if you think about where you move your product from point A to point B and, and several other people are involved in, uh, that community, but Enough about that, the niceties of those things, all those freebies I give all those, those people. Let's get into the business of tequila, but more importantly, Katie, maybe talk a little bit about you and how you got in the business of tequila and the business of drinks. We'd be interested to kind of share your story a little bit, and then we can talk about your, your great brand.

Amazing. Thank you. Uh, yeah, so I have been, um, in the hospitality industry since I was in college. I grew up on the East Coast in Massachusetts. I went to school in Hartford, Connecticut, studied musical theater, actually was my major. And then I moved to New York City right after school and got a job serving tables and was like, you know, pounding the pavement, trying to find that big break into Broadway. And it— I just, I got burnt out. I got tired of it. I didn't want to do the grind. I just wasn't clicking. So I packed everything up and I moved to California. That was almost 15 years ago, and I have been here ever since, and I dove deeper into hospitality here. Um, I'm not into film and television. I had no desire to do that Hollywood thing. So I jumped full into hospitality.

Well, a lot of people in that business are in hospitality, right? It's survival. So they're probably servers, beverage directors. They probably didn't put food on the table. I remember going out to Los Angeles and I lived out there. You'd run into people and they're like all the actresses and actors that are Serving you your food.

Yeah.

You know, trying to get started. Right. Which I'm assuming that's what you were doing too, to survive.

Yeah, absolutely. Totally. Exactly the same. It was like, you know, theater doesn't pay the bills, unfortunately not for everybody. So it was definitely, it started as a survival job for sure. Um, and then I was rec— I was working at this really cool spot in LA at the Old Farmer's Market, you know, like over on Fairfax and 3rd. And they had this spot, it was called Short Order. It was a burger spot and they had an incredible bar program. And I was just a server. I had no bartending experience, but I was really curious and I learned a lot as a server. I realized how much I could drive check averages up and make people like happy, have these storytelling moments at my tables that would just make me more money. And so I fell absolutely in love with spirits. Um, and there was this guy there, his name's Julian Cox. He is a, um, he's, you know, an icon in the industry, especially in California, but he has been around the whole country, um, lending his talents and education. And he reached out to me. that I really liked it and we— I went into his class. So I went into his bartending class. It was like really intense. It was—

So you're, you're like a master mixologist then. I'm thinking about, I'm thinking when you're talking bartending, I'm thinking like the, the movie Cocktails. Have you seen that with Tom Cruise? Were you out there flipping bottles and stuff and, and dancing on the bar, making things happen?

I have definitely had a, a job where I danced on a bar. Yes. That is part of my resume back in New York though.

So Coyote Ugly, that movie is It probably really happened.

Yes, it is real. It's a real restaurant. It's a real bar. Um, yeah. So I was like doing this really intense, what we, what you would call mixology, I suppose, but it was a cocktail and, and, you know, spirits education course. It was for 7 weeks. It was 5 days a week, 3 hours a day from 10 to 1. I would go in and it was like a class of probably, we started with like 60 people. And if you didn't get your, um, your test, like you had, we had a test every day on like 5 cocktails or the category.

Oh, so there's like a knockout round here. I'm, I'm hearing, right? Yep.

So if you, if you failed your, and like if you failed the test, like you really couldn't come back cuz it meant that you weren't serious. Like you could get things wrong on it, but you couldn't completely fail. And, and we had a midterm in the middle where we just, we had learned like 96 different cocktail recipes with their builds, their garnishes, the glassware, the history, like everything. And We had to write them all out. It was amaz— it was like, honestly, I loved it.

Oh, of the, of the 60 people that started the class, yeah, obviously after midterms, how many were left?

Uh, I think we cut through half and then we ended up—

Wow. So 50% turnover. And at the end, how many were left?

There was about 20 of us at the end.

Amazing. Yeah. So that's a great certification. It says a lot about who you are. And then you took that and you did what with it?

So I started bartending in LA and, um, It was wonderful. I worked at this spot called The Nice Guy, which is a like Rolodex-only celebrity, you know, hotspot that they opened in 2014. And it was just like, my regulars were Dave Chappelle. Like Drake was always in there. Justin Bieber, like the clientele.

Like you're mixing drinks up for Dave Chappelle and, uh, Drake and Justin Bieber. You're like, you're just like yucking it up with these guys as you're making drinks.

Yeah. Dave Chappelle was my favorite regular, hands down. He was the best.

Amazing.

He would come in at night, um, like we would be just closing the bar, like 2 o'clock, right? Last call. Yeah. We did that. And in walks Dave smoking a cigarette and we're like, hey Dave. He's like, I know I'm late. And he'll just come back behind the bar and he, we were like, you can't smoke your cigarette in here, sir. And he would be like, all right, I'm just gonna get behind the bar and make drinks then. And so he would stay there until like 4 or 5 in the morning. You know, there's no windows, no doors, no nothing. You can't see inside. And we would just hang out. And he was a great tipper.

Amazing. So he would get back behind there mixing it up with you and the whole bit. So you're doing this thing. So you take this class, you go from wanting to be on Broadway, this budding actress, right? You move across the country to Los Angeles. You take this 7-week course, you land in this bar. So take us from some of that journey to, uh, like now, like, okay, so what happened between now and Tromba Tequila, which we'll get into, but I'm, I'm curious how you got here from The bar.

Sure. So I, what is, I started applying for like brand rep jobs, right? So like Jameson needed somebody, or, you know, it was like Absolut was really big that year. And so I kept applying for all these different jobs and, and I was like getting a lot of nos cuz I had no experience. And then something came to me that was through Sazerac and it was this role, it was called the Bond and Royal, it's like a portfolio manager, or I think they called it a spirit specialist at the time.

Oh, so you worked for Sazerac before this? Okay. So this is the, okay. Great. Okay. Interesting.

Okay. So, I got that role with Bond and Royal, and I was there for about 4 years with, within that role. And it was awesome. Like, we sold incredible brands, you know, it's like Buffalo Trace, it's, um, Siete Leguas, it's Línea Acquavit, it's, you know, Pisco, Curaçao.

Were you in a, were you in a, were you in an area? Were you traveling all over the country? Like, what was the role?

I was just Los Angeles. So, I was LA market. Um, and I—

Just Los Angeles. How many people in Los Angeles? Like 20 million people or something? 10 million.

Yeah. 10 million of them. So, um, yeah, I covered, I covered LA and a little bit of like all of Southern California. So, um, it was really fun. And then I got the opportunity to work directly for Buffalo Trace Distillery as their national brand ambassador. Right.

And so how did you jump? So I want to go back a little bit. I want to just, because I think this is important for people in the community here too, because there's so many paths to what you're doing, right? Because now you're this like global person that you're doing with Tromba and stuff, but It's interesting. So when you were in Los Angeles, what, like, what was your, like, a day in the life? I'm just curious. And then I wanna go to the next row of Buffalo Trace. Were you going into like restaurants talking to mixologists about the product? Like, what did, what did that look like? Were you trying to get 'em to serve your product, get it on a menu? What was happening?

Yes. All of the above. It was the, the KPIs, or, you know, like the, the goals that we had were very much menu-oriented, uh, so we can get the volume if you could get well placements. Things like that. And so a day in the life would really be me hitting the streets. Like I was the feet on the streets, had my, my, you know, 12-bottle bag of any kind of alcohol you could imagine and like really interesting stories. And the portfolio is just so beautiful that, that Bond and Royal team has. And so—

So you just arrived in these accounts like, hey, I'm Katie and, and drink my shit. You know, like, like how did, like when you walk into a, a, like a, a, a one of these establishments, Beverly Hills or, You know, cool places. How did you get their attention? What was your, what was your thing? I'm just, just really curious. Like, what was your, what was your success rate? How many people, how many nos did you face and how'd you get 'em to talk to you?

Yeah. So my network played a huge role in opening up a lot of doors. So having that camaraderie, those 20 bartenders that I went through that class with, yeah, are now running programs and they're the buyers and they're the decision makers for these outlets. And so I have these Long-standing friendships and, and, you know, we'd have these bonds, we were friends and we, we would help each other out. Right. And so we would find—

It's a pretty tight community, isn't it? I mean, basically.

Yeah, it's a, it's insanely, yeah. Tight-knit. Yeah. We all know each other basically. That's great.

Are you part of the United States? Are you part of the United States Bartender Guild?

Yep, absolutely. I was on the board, uh, actually during the pandemic. Okay. During, uh, and all that. So I've, I've been very close with USBG and that's another way for for, um, like young reps who are a little bit more green to get those doors opened is to go to those networking events like USBG. What if they have like seminars, education for other brands, whatever? Just like the more you're present and the more you show up to the community, the more they'll open doors for you.

And I think— It's like the, it's like the Toastmasters of, uh, the beverage alcohol industry, just to share and learn. It's a nice community. Uh, we love, we love those guys. We, uh, we are, we support them in a, in a big way. So great shout out. So that gave you a path to Buffalo Trace. Did you do the same thing at Buffalo Trace? Did your territory expand or you just focused on, um, on bourbons?

Yeah, it, it, my, my life drastically changed when I took that role. So I, you were asking like, have I gotten any nos? Well, I went to Sazerac. I love agave portfolio. So the, and the agave that they had in, and that portfolio at the time was just incredible. Casa San Matías, Sierra de Leguas, Del Maguey was in there when I first started. And then they launched other mezcal. I was like, agave's where I love to be, why don't you guys hire, like, why don't you create a role for an agave ambassador for your portfolio? Someone that can speak specifically to the tequila program. Yeah. And they were like, no, no, we don't think that that's, you know, necessary.

Katie, they're probably trying to box you into being Irish, right?

They were like, no, no tequila.

Take an Irish portfolio. Like, no, no, I want agave.

Yes. Yeah.

I'm just joking, by the way. I'm having fun.

I love it. No, it's, it's very true. Irish and Mexico are, are the, The Irish and the Mexicans are very interrelated, so it's like really the same people. There you go. We're very, we're like—

So you're on the Buffalo Trace train now?

Yeah. So I, so they were like, you know what, but we do want someone like that for our bourbon portfolio. Yeah. Would you be interested in that? And absolutely. So I threw my name in the hat, I got the job. It was awesome. It was a national role representing that distillery, just like Buffalo Trace and, and 1792. So the, the bourbons of Sazerac.

Wow. This is an amazing journey. So from actress To bar, to a, a class, to bartending, to Los Angeles. Now you're national.

Yep, exactly.

So, and you did this in a short period of time. This is in a what period of time? 4 or 5 years?

It was, yeah, it was probably, I, I started, I, I moved to Los Angeles in 2011 and then I, you know, left behind the bar like 2017. So yeah, it's been about like 8 years or so. Um, which is, yeah.

Oh, you just didn't, you just didn't graduate from school and, and get the big national job. You didn't walk right into, you had to, you had to, You had to earn your stripes to get there.

Yeah, I had, I had to prove myself and, um, I had to convince a lot of people along the way that they could trust me and they could, you know, I could do the job. And it was, it was awesome. It was like such a great, you know, just per— personal brand building, you know, experience through all of that. So, it was amazing. It was so cool. I got to do, I got to drink some of the best bourbons. Like I got to go to, to Cayman Islands and go to the Cayman Cookout and pour OFC. Like, who, who gets to do those kind of things? You know, these extremely rare experiences. So I am so thankful for everything that I, that the bourbon world has.

We get to do that in the drinks industry though, don't we? We get to have that experience, which is amazing.

We are very fortunate. Yeah, it's, it's really cool. So I loved my time at Buffalo Trace. I thought it was absolutely incredible. And, um, I've, but I always wanted to be in tequila. I really, really, really wanted to be in the agave world. I am, I go to Guadalajara often. I really am in love with the culture and the community of the agave world, both people who produce it, who sell it, and who drink it. It's just a really positive environment to be in. And I, I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to work with Tromba. And that's— I've been with them for just over 2 years.

So, to kind of go back here, so we're at Buffalo Trace. So when did the transition to Tromba happen?

It was, I did, I moved over in, uh, the first quarter of 2024.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay. So, and how did that happen again? I, I missed it and I wasn't paying attention.

Oh no, they just, they're the, the way that the program was going at Buffalo Trace, they wanted to invest more in bringing out like their heavy hitters, so to speak. You know, your, your master blender, your master distillers, your, you know, you know, people who are actually touching it. So they took the program and put it into their hands.

So now they're the ones that go on these adventures and go out into the world and, You know, I think they missed the mark because you said at the very beginning is that the community is so tight. Those people, the 60 that ended up being 20, and those people are now writing beverage programs. Who are they going to talk to, you or them? Me. Exactly.

They're my friends now.

Who do they trust? The boots on the ground. So that's their miss, but it's Tromba's gain. So now, the star of the show.

Yeah, this is an incredible 100% agave additive-free tequila. That's, this is our current label. We are, we are moving towards something that's a little more legible, 'cause I'm sure you're like, can't really see that, which would be this big bottle.

Yeah. Well, she taught everybody, like she, you were telling me, like you, you're showing me this. So I'm thinking like this, this Friday delivery last week, I'm gonna get the big bottle and she sent me this. And then I got some little sample bottles here, which we'll, we'll taste, which is fine. I'm being already greedy. I'm already asking for more and the whole bit. But, uh, yeah, we're really excited.

It's really cool. Um, the brand, the name Tromba. It is a kind of like a Jalisco agaveiro slang for rainstorm. So these big heavy rainstorms that come in the late summer months up in the mountains and the highlands, they just take over the land and it's like, you know, it's just loud and life-changing.

Is it a single estate? Is it a single estate agave?

No, we have, we have, we work with one family of agaveiros and their farmers and their humidors, but they're all from all different Areas within the mountainside.

I love that. I love the mountainside here on the back here. You can see that, which is, uh, I don't know if it does it justice on the camera here, but you can see it.

It's really beautiful artwork. Yeah. That's from a local Guadalajara artist.

Yeah. I'm not going to open this one. So I'm going to taste the, uh, okay. Should we? So we'll talk a little bit about the brand. So the brand was established when?

Uh, 2009, uh, was when it first, we had like you know, a name. And it was actually founded by some gentlemen from different places who all found themselves in Guadalajara at the same time. So we have 2 Australians, a Canadian, and 2 Mexicans that took together and launched Tromba. And so they're the founders.

Sounds like a beginning of a joke, by the way.

They walk into a distillery. Well, and so, and the point behind it was they really wanted to make an authentic 100% agave and bring it back to where they came from. So to Canada and to Australia, those were the first 2 markets that Tromba opened up in, and then it launched in the United States in 2014. And it's predominantly a, an on-premise or bar and restaurant brand. That's how it was initially built. And so a lot of people haven't really had eyes on it. So we're, we're, we're slowly growing and, and I think that this large bottle will help people look at it a little bit more and, and, and hopefully enjoy it at home as well as in bars. So it's been, it's been around for, for a while. It's not, it's not a brand new brand even though you haven't heard of it. So it's, it's got its pedigree, it's artisanal. Um, and it's, it's absolutely delicious.

It's so good. So, so you arrived in 2024. So from 2009 to 2024, I'm sure you know the history of the brand development, right? So I'm curious because we talked to a lot of brands and, you know, we talked to a lot of tequila brands, vodka, bourbon, gin, THC, functional, you name it. And everybody arrives here to talk to, um, my partners and their brands are kind of 5 different stages. There's foundation, there's, there's, there's build, Sorry about that. Build growth, uh, scale and sustain, right? So can you talk a little bit about the, between what happened to them from '09 to 2024? Because you guys are like with one of the biggest wholesalers in North America. I believe you said you were with Breakthrough Beverage Group.

Yep. We're with, we are, every state's a little different, but they're our largest partner nationally. Yes.

Nationally. So you're with Breakthrough, which congratulations to you. Uh, I spent 10 years with Breakthrough. I have a high, high respect. Uh, to the, uh, Marinoff and, uh, Wirtz family. Forever grateful of my 10 years I got to spend there myself. So hats off to you to be with Breakthrough. But I don't think you got to Breakthrough in 2009.

No. Um, I, the brand came through Park Street originally, right? So it was something Park Street Imports is something that's very helpful for a new brand to the United States. Um, and it definitely, you know, it got, gets you, gets you in the door.

That's, that's, that's a path, right? You got like MHW, Park Street, ASC, those are great avenues for a new brand to come into market. And how long were they with, do you know the history of how long they were with Park Street and how they made that turn?

I, I'm not 100% positive, uh, the, the exact timeline, to be honest. However, I, when I was working at Sazerac in that sales job for Bond and Royal, yeah, I, um, we were, so we're, you know, we're, we have, we have this beautiful portfolio I just was telling you about. And they were like, we're getting in, we're gonna bring in a new tequila into your portfolio. And that was Tromba. So, Tromba changed importers from Park Street to Sazerac.

Ah, okay.

And it landed in my, landed in my book. So, it was very much like at the end of that sales job that I was introduced to Tromba, and then we had the pandemic. So, there wasn't, I didn't get a lot of hands-on selling of Tromba at the time, but it was, I would say they probably joined the team like in 2018. 19, um, over at Sazerac. So now that's the importer.

Yeah. So there was basically 9 years of heavy lifting of a lot of, uh, Oh, absolutely, dude.

These guys, um, so, so Jimmy Sherry, he's an incredible human being. He's one of the Australian founders and he, he would go around the United States. He moved to the US, invested himself into the US, took a backpack around to bars in Chicago and in LA, down into Texas. And he like pounded the pavement himself as You know, as a founder. And to this day, I mean, he was just in LA last week and everybody was like so excited to see him. He carries so much dignity for the brand to this day, even though he moved back to Melbourne and he's, you know, he's kind of passed the US sales force over to us. Um, but he's just like, he, he, he went hard.

I love that story cuz we talked to so many brands. We were talking to a little brand, um, two, it was a brother. I didn't talk to his other brother, but it was two brothers. brand called 1738. And they come from coffee, Rolfi or something. Their family found this coffee in El Salvador, but they have this whole brand. It's like a coffee liqueur, right? And he's like, yep, my wife and I, we got into 10 accounts, or 10 totals, and we're in 4 accounts. But it's exactly like everybody thinks, everybody just arrived at Breakthrough Beverage Group and they have a national sales team representing this.

Right.

It was, it was Jimmy's name. Jimmy. Jimmy was, Jimmy was, that was my brother's name, by the way, but Jimmy's out humping it, right? With his backpack, he's going place to place. And that's what it really takes to build a brand, to create that demand, because now you have proof of concept, right? People know this brand. So consumers are finding it. Sazerac's behind it. You know, you got, you got breakthrough attention on it and you now, so it's, it's, it's different. So getting here, It was, um, great hats off to you. So let's talk about, you're here 2024. Mm-hmm. So you, so, so there's Breakthrough and then there's Sazerac, but then there's you. Uh, yeah. So how does that work? Are you like the brand owner? Like, like Sazerac allows you to come play with them or how does that work?

Yeah, we share, um, we, we share a little bit of their, their sales force, not the entire, not the entirety of it. Um, but a little piece of their craft, uh, spirits section. So there's a part of Sazerac that's called 375 Park Avenue Spirits. And okay. They're like a sub They're, they're fully integrated into Sazerac, but they're, you know, kind of a subdivision in a way. So we are part of their portfolio with some other really amazing brands. We have Mizu Sochu that's over there, Caio Whiskey, um, Siete Leguas actually just moved over there, Glenfarclas, like these really beautiful brands that are agency brands basically for Sazerac. So they're not outrightly owned by Sazerac. This portfolio is like kind of that. That's what they work on. So we have—

So a lot of agency brands that they represent in the portfolio.

Yeah, exactly.

I think of the days, like I'm, I'm not real aging myself, but there was a company called Hueblind and Hueblind had brands like that. We would, and there was different divisions. There was Hart, Martin, Genesis. Yeah. All that. And we had different portfolios that we represented and we did a lot of that, you know, on the streets, working closely with a wholesaler to go build that, uh, business. So that's what Sazerac does with their That, that portfolio, that, that group?

Yes, absolutely. So they are, yeah, they're, they help us with distributor, you know, inventory. They help us with distributor relationships, building those, getting those, you know, in front of them, getting the GSMs or team meetings. They're a really integral part in building that relationship for us as a brand. So we're very thankful to have them.

Um, so are you working with the, the sales force at Sazerac then, and in turn works with, uh, Breakthru, or are you doing both?

I do both. Okay. Yeah, I do both. So now I'm, it's a very lean team that we have here in Tromba. We have 4 full-time employees currently, and we have a, a various amount of different part-time brand ambassadors throughout the US. So that's our personal sales force, right? That's who's really curating the brand and, and having these rela— and maintaining that relationship with the importer and bringing our accounts, you know, obviously like bringing our accounts to their, to their, to their other brands.

So you have, so you have the Sazerac sales force, but you also have ambassadors that are part of your team.

Yes.

How does that work? Does, does Sazerac like that or are they, are they cool with that or how does that work?

Yeah. I, I mean, I've, I, I would imagine they enjoy it because it's, you know, added sales on their bottom line, right? If we're out there selling, we have double the people in a market, you know? Yeah. And we have like different avenues. I mean, and our bartenders, our brand ambassadors are, majority of them are bartenders still like currently bartending. It's a part-time job. Like they're just, you know, they're like, they do our activations, they will like, You know, they're not, they're not taking this on as a full-time sales role. So, yeah, it balances itself out.

Um, I, I was just curious, this is, we've talked to some people about like these ambassadors, right? So, um, like what does an ambassador do on your team? Like what's, like, what's a day in the life of an ambassador on your team?

So we ask them to really be rooted into the community. Like, that's like why we, we love, you know, having them, they're still hands-on, you know, maybe they only have one shift a week, behind a bar, but they're going behind the bar every night. They're reporting back consumer trends, what people are drinking, where things are going. They're seeing it and they're— it's part of their life every day. So, we like to see that and then be engaging to the community. Go to those USBG events, like be a part of that. See where there's opportunities, like, and you, they, they bring a lot of opportunities to me, right? So, they'll be like, oh, there's this opportunity for this menu placement program. They're really excited about it. And then, I can take the lead or they can go and close it themselves. It's really—

You're like, so you've hired industry insiders, not ambassadors, as I would think. Yeah, these are, these are advocates. So the people, you probably required them to take the class. Did they have to take the 7-week class? And if they passed, they become opportunity on your team?

No, but we do have that caliber of people. Absolutely. I mean, the, the really amazing thing about Tromba is it's incredible quality at a really affordable price point. Which gets us into some really incredible 50 best bars across the world, really, but especially in the US.

You're in the 50 best bars across the world with this brand?

Well, not every single one of them, but we're on. Yeah. So we're— Okay.

So affordable. So this is a 750 I'm looking at. This is—

That's a 750. Yeah.

Um, uh, it's beautiful by the way. Um, what, uh, what's the price? What's a typical price point retail MSRP?

So the MSRP for that is like around $30 to $35 is going to sit for that.

So you're under $40, which is really good. And then for, and are you doing liters for the bars?

We have liters for the bars. Yeah. And those sit in like, like it depends, it varies state by state, but we still sit in that premium, like above $20 range for the liter. So we're not like, you know, super cutting the costs to get it.

So you're getting into, you're getting into some bar programs, you're getting into some margaritas, the whole bit. So your cost per ounce is what? Oh, nah.

Um, it, it really, it's like probably more like, I know not on the big one because I sell this like every day now. Um, it gets like around like, I would say like 80 cents between 60 and 80 cents. Yeah.

You're, you're, you're under, you're under a buck. So they'll talk, they'll talk to you. I think when a lot of people, I always ask like the cost per ounce because someone like you who grew up in that, that side of the business, you're like, yeah, I got a, I got a great tequila. What's my cost per ounce? I like $2. I'm like, yeah, you're not in my program.

Right. Yeah. You still have to, I mean, it's something that is very, It's really important for, I think, brands to understand that as well when they're going in and pricing their products towards the on-trade is, is remembering that those people also have to hit their margins. And so it's, you know, it, it definitely helps when you can, you can soften that blow on that, on that cocktail pricing.

It's amazing. So, so are you managing all the, uh, so you're managing all of North America for Tromba?

No, not, not that big. No, I, I just manage, I work I really focus on the West Coast of the US. I have a counterpart on the East Coast who's been with the brand much longer than me.

Um, but, um, you just, you just have the West Coast. Okay. That's a big, big job.

Yeah. But I, I also like, you know, I'll, I'll jump in wherever, you know, because it's such, we're such a relationship-driven company and we hire people because we like the people. So like, I have friends who live in New York who'll call me and ask me, you know, oh, can I Use the— I wanna use Trauma in my program. So like, yeah, I'm gonna help them out. Right. Same thing in Illinois. Yeah. Or in the places like Oklahoma or different, different places like that.

So yeah, you got the team selling. So I wanna get into some, I'm gonna get into some questions. So this is great. This is a great conversation. And, uh, so I wanna ask you a couple questions I posted this afternoon.

Just cheers, even though you asked me away.

Cheers. I'm actually, I'm gonna, if you, if you don't mind, I'm gonna, I'm gonna open up the Caffetto. Is it the Caffetto?

Oh yeah. Caffetto. Go for it.

Yeah, so I'm gonna do that. Here's a little cafeto point five here.

It's cute.

All right. I don't think I've had a tequila and coffee.

Yeah, this is the bottle.

Oh, that is beautiful. Cheers. Oh, salud.

Cheers. Salud.

Arriba, abajo, al centro, para dentro.

Salud. Wow.

Yes. That's actually neat. Warm is fine. I mean, it's actually. What's the best way to have it?

I like it over a large rock personally, but people will have it over many rocks or in espresso martinis made with tequila since it's already tequila-based. Oh, it goes really well.

Yeah, that is absolutely amazing. I lost my train of thought, but I got my questions right here.

You're good.

That's good. But the Tromba Caffetto, and you can find this anywhere?

Not anywhere. I wish if anyone out there is, uh, at BevMo and wants to give me a call, then I'd be really happy. Um, but we, um, I would say you're more of your independent retailers. You can always just look it up online. We do have a lot. We do a lot of like independent.

Well, I'm sure like, uh, Randy over at BevMo and, and, uh, and people that we, we, we have a lot of different, uh, retailers. I'm sure they capture the, this show and we'll republish it. So we're happy to send it over to 'em and say, Hey, this is a great opportunity. All right, so building a craft tequila brand in a category, in a crowded category, it seems like if you walk the stores, like, you know, last time we went to, we were talking about Benny's earlier, but you go in these stores, there's a sea of tequilas. How do you guys stand out?

Yeah, there is. It's really interesting because the growth of the tequila category in the United States over the past You know, even 5 years is just astronomical how many new brands are on the shelves and how much more interest there is actually in people trying new tequilas that you used to— that used to only happen in whiskey. I felt like it was very— now it's kind of shifting and people are taking that mentality into tequila. So there are lots of options and it is very hard to differentiate yourself. Having conversations with people like you is a super helpful way of spreading the word, right?

Yeah.

Also, we, this is why we have this 3.75-liter bottle of tequila. So we are first to market in the United States with this and in the category as well with the 3.75-liter.

I told you when we first talked, it reminded me of my days of selling Cola Rossi 4-liter.

Exactly.

And I built towers of it. So you should be having towers of that in all Vons.

Uh, yes, I agree. I was, so it's really, it's really fun. It's a disruptor, right? So when I go into some of these retailers and they're like, you know what, I don't have room for another 750 because there's so many other brands. I'm like, but nobody else has this. And they're like, okay, like now you've piqued my interest. And like, it gets me in, gives me a, a lot more brand recognition, just being a, being something that's disruptive, being something that's different. Um, and so—

I think in today, you know, someone asked me, um, I was talking to a brand that's gonna come on the podcast and he's their like CFO and he's like, um, they're rolling out a new brand in September. So they're trying to get in front of it and, and, and the whole bit. And he goes, what do you think about what's going on in the category? And I said, well, people aren't gonna stop drinking, but there is a shift. So I think to your point, you gotta innovate.

Mm-hmm.

And give, give people a reason, you know, a, a path or whatever. And, and that's just fun what you just showed there. It just, just speaks like, you know, I'm having some people over. We used to do, um, back in the day, the little like, uh, Cuervo margarita bowls. You remember those things? Yes. And, and then do those things. So kind of the, I think, but I like, I like the approach. Uh, what makes you different?

The tequila itself is just really good. It's incredible.

Um, I can vouch for that.

Yeah. And it's, it's really affordable.

The Cafeto will be gone before the, the episode is complete.

I love that.

So it makes, it makes you different. Okay.

Yeah. And, and I mean, the, this Cafeto, the, the pro— the production process of this tequila is And so I consider myself to be like, I would always consider myself to be very proud of the tequilas that I choose to drink and also of course represent. And this is just made in such an artisanal way. It's made like with patience and time and attention to detail and like hands-on craftsmen that you can taste that in the bottle. It's absolutely apparent. And even with this product here, it's, this is insane. This is basically like a cold brew extraction. With still strength tequila. So instead of running water through your cold brew, you're running still strength tequila through these crushed coffee beans. And we actually use the Female Coffee Grower Alliance of Mexico to help us create a custom blend for our coffee and ground freshly on site. And then all we do is add in after that's done, it takes like 4 days. And then after that, we do agave nectar and a little bit of like botanicals, some citrus, um, like expressions.

And well, you did have a— I'm now the Cafeto fan. I'm gonna be having Cafeto at every episode and I'll be, you might be the unofficial sponsor for tequila on Drink Up, and I'm going to be talking about Cafeto every week. And then Jimmy's going to be calling me and saying cease and desist. I'm like, hey man, I just love your product. So I'm looking at the NOM, and tell me a little bit about NOM 1547. And then can I ask a question? I probably should know this, but I guess I don't. What is DOP? It says dope.

Yeah, I, I, I think that's just like part of this. That's part of the Mexico. Because I think, are they on? I don't know.

Actually, I don't know. It's on the, it's on the, it's on the Blanca, but more about the, uh, the NOM.

I know there's a, they're kosher. It's kosher is the K and then the CRT and the NOM. So we have to do some research.

You're the first person I've ever heard of. So this is kosher. This is a kosher.

Yeah.

Oh, that's big. And actually Benny's in Chicago, by the way, they have a whole kosher section.

Amazing. We got to put the big jug there.

Exactly. I remember actually, I was, I was talking to someone, I won't say his name, but he might be the buyer of Benny's, one of the buyers. He's like, I was, some, I was representing another brand there and we're, it's like late at night and we're standing in the aisle and he goes, if you can like, you know, make your products kosher, you're gonna open up a whole new world. And then I think 5 rabbis like drove, drove by me in their carts with them all.

Yeah.

Like full cart.

Full.

Carta stuff. But, uh, so then can you tell me a little about the Nomen? That's okay if you can't.

Yeah, I can. So it is, I, I've actually been to the distillery multiple times. Um, I am headed back to Guadalajara actually on Saturday. So I'm really excited to, to go back down there, but this distillery is in the highlands. So it's like about an hour and a half outside of Guadalajara, away from the town of Tequila in the other direction. And it is small. It's tiny. It does produce other brands. It's a contract distillation for us. We're not, we do not own the distillery right out, but we, produce a lot out of there. Um, we're one of their larger, their probably, if not their largest, their second largest brand there. And it's, it's, it's a nice artisanal, there's hornos or the ovens that we use. Like, that's it. There's no industrial material for cooking of any kind. It's very, very traditional. Um, and then, so we have the hornos there and then the distillery inside is, it's, it's so exciting. Um, we use a roller mill as our crusher and then we have our aging facility is right on site. It's just in the next building down in the cave. Basically. And we also have a bottling line there. So everything top to bottom, um, from the, once the piñas arrive after the harvest is done exactly in that distillery. So we have really—

Amazing. So I was the Cuervo Man of the Year in the '80s, just to let you know. So I love hearing the story about Guadalajara and, and, and the community. And, and when I was heading down there, it was a totally different world than it is today. And to see like Like, your brand and you're thriving and what you're doing is tremendous. And like, I just put people to work and because I have an affinity for tequila and Mexico, and now I'm gonna be a forever fan of your brand. All right, so growing your distribution without losing your authenticity, right?

Yeah.

So 2009 to 2026, which is hard to believe, in another 6 months it'll be 2027. Has, has, has Jimmy and team maintained their, like, what, what do you, what is your vision for the brand?

So I actually have the, the great opportunity and like direct line. So I, my direct, I direct report into our CEO who was one of the founders, the Canadian guy. His name's Eric Brass. Um, he's incredible. I have so much fun and like, I'm learning so much from him and, and it's just been like, he's still hands-on. He's the founder of the brand and this many years later, he's absolutely hands-on and involved in almost every single conversation. Um, so it's, it's definitely like they're 100% still invested in this, in the brand from, from start to finish. Now, they started off at, I think this is, this is the 3rd, uh, different NOM that we actually have, just FYI.

Right.

Because when it first started, and you're talking about scaling for bigger distribution, um, when the brand first started, we were at one distillery and that distillery, we outgrew it, right? Like you, you just do sometimes. If you're not the priority, you don't own it. You can't say, you can't dictate your production. Schedules, et cetera. So we had to move and then that continued to happen. So here we are, we're pumping out as much as we can, but it took some of those decisions. And in doing that, you know, you don't want to sacrifice the quality. I think that if you know anything about tequila, you understand the importance of a NOM and you understand the importance of where it's being produced. And there's a lot of variables that can change when you move a brand from one to the other. So we have an extremely talented like chemistry crew basically that works with Tromba, and they have been able to flavor match and, and really help the brand grow without losing any of its integrity from the original.

Yeah. So quality consistent. I like the fact that, you know, it stands for like rain. There's a lot of things, the whole bit.

And yeah, we use deep, we use deep well water for the, to, to proof down. So that's important because it comes from the rains.

Yeah. What, so let's talk, I mean, you can be, you can be guarded on your numbers, I guess, but what is your, what is your growth right now in the US of your brand?

We're just at this point, we are, I would say we're really excited to see where this 3.75-liter takes us at the end of the year because we anticipate that this, and we're actually going to bring a Reposado to market as well. So in the same format. So we're really excited to see at the end of the year how much this can push us. I mean, we're going to obviously aim for, you know, as much growth as we can, but I think it'll be so interesting to see exactly how many, because this is, The one case of this is equivalent of 15 liters. So when you're talking 9-liter equivalents, which if you're not in the industry, you don't understand what I'm saying, but like, it is so cool because that buying a case of this is like buying, you know.

Who's your target for that pro— that size? Like, who are you targeting? Is it restaurants? Is it packaged liquor stores? Yeah. Where are you going with it?

We are, we are, um, we are basically targeting like cocktail programs that do kegged cocktails, right? That's a really big thing in the industry right now, having a draft cocktail. And the programs like those 50 Best Bars and places like that that utilize that kind of— it's fast, efficient service. So your guest is not waiting 10 minutes for a cocktail.

Yeah.

And it's consistent because you're, you know, you have most of these places have a batch, a prep guy, right? That, that makes the, the cocktail batches that go in the kegs that then come off the draft.

Right.

So it's, um, those are our, our big targets. And then, The other one, I mean, honestly, in Southern California, we have a very large Mexican population, right? We have a lot of large family gatherings and things of that nature. So last year when we launched this, it was around the holiday season and everybody was like, that's perfect for my backyard party. That's perfect for this. Like, this is perfect for my Christmas party. Like I'm having, you know, 75 people are gonna be there and like, all right. So that's, it's like we're going down both avenues. Um, and we'll see where, we'll see where it lands. I mean, we're gonna see who, who ends up tipping the scale more for volume, but right now it's on-premise is doing really well with it. We're really happy.

So it's amazing, this journey that you've been on, you know, starting out in acting, going out, taking this 7-week course. Congratulations being the 20 standing, the 60 that started.

Thank you.

To, you know, landing into, you know, um, be bartending and making beverages and being a master mixologist to your journey at the Sazerac, you know, to Buffalo, you know, doing a couple gigs there and the Buffalo Trace to Tromba, which is an amazing career. Uh, where do you see the future of tequila and premium spirits? Where do you see things going?

So I think that there is absolutely an attention to what people are consuming now. Um, how Some, how you choose to spend your dollars is very important to people, especially in the United States. And I do see more interest in tequila. And I don't, I would, I am not getting behind any kind of celebrity brand at all, but the celebrity influence into that category of tequila has opened up so many new minds, right? So many people who maybe would've never touched a bottle of tequila now are digging really deep. into the quality of their tequila. So I think the premiumization and not necessarily premiumization, but quality and value is going to be the most important thing for any brand that wants that longevity in this category so that you can be really transparent. You can be very straightforward and clear, have a beautiful product, and then also be able to share it at an affordable price point. That's amazing. Not the bottom, not the bottom of the barrel, right? You don't want to spend $6 on my tequila or $200.

I want to be like, right. Right. All right. So the last few minutes, a couple of things. One is, is there anything that we didn't cover today about you, about the brand that you'd want to convey to anybody? Would be great. Yeah.

I mean, I, I'm happy to have shown this large format. I do think that there is a lot of positive innovation coming out of Tromba. Yes, it's really cool. We actually have— I had given you this sample of the Sedano, which is actually the tequila that I chose to have for this afternoon's tequila. This is a really cool innovation. as well that we're doing. So this is a reposado that starts its life off in American oak bourbon barrels, and then we finish it in French oak. So it has the double barrel, like, flavor finish to it. It's really unique. And, and we're even in talks about— right now we're using, like, red French wine oak, but we're talking about some other different opportunities with different kinds of barrels. So this could be something to watch for sure as the Sedona line starts to What does 50 stand for on the bottle? So that's a great question. Sedano, Marco Sedano, is founder and owner of the brand and master distiller. So he's been the master distiller with us since day one, and he celebrated his 50 years in the tequila industry in 2024. So this bottle was released, and it is a— it's an honor. Like, it's basically honoring his legacy of tequila making.

That is amazing. That's a, that's a, it does come down to stories. How do people find you?

Me or the brand?

Both.

Oh, okay. Um, so I am on my socials, my social media, my Instagram is Katy in Jalisco, K-A-T-Y in Jalisco. Uh, I, I joke because of that show Emily in Paris, and I wish that, you know, someday my life will be Based in Guadalajara, and I'll just be Katie in Jalisco. So it's manifestation.

That could be a Netflix documentary, by the way.

Let's go. I'm so, I'm so pumped. Oh, I do have to tell you one more thing before I forget. But then the brand, the brand, we're Tequila Tromba, @tequilatromba or tequilatromba.com. And in stores, we are at Total Wines with the big gallon in Texas, California, and Nevada right now, hoping to expand more. As you said, Binny's in the, in the Chicago area. Um, we have Viking Liquor in your neck of the woods that we just opened up. Have you been there?

That's like a mile from here, by the way. So I'll go down and take a picture and text you and do a little survey for you and say, yeah, please share. I know John, who's the proprietor of the area. They're part of the whole Liquor Barrel. There's a bunch of Liquor Barrels, like 14 of them or whatever. Oh, cool. But John seems to be the ringmaster of the group. That's really cool. And, uh, it's Prior Lake, which is, we live right on the lake and you get all that lake business there. So that's perfect. For, for that.

Yeah. Just really quickly, I'm sorry, this like blew— just, I don't know how I didn't tell you this. So I'm going to Guadalajara on Saturday and I'm going for a mission. We are, we at Tromba have a sustainability component to our brand pillars that is very important to all of us.

Okay.

So during this trip, I will be participating in what we have that we call the Agave Rewilding Project. And it's addressing the overcultivation of blue Weber agave in Jalisco over the past couple years and how it's kind have taken a toll on ecosystems as a whole.

Yeah, they've been taking the younger ones out, right? And because of the way they can manufacture still.

Yeah, they've been doing that. And they've cleared land of like really important indigenous trees and other kinds of agave that won't make money like the blue Weber will for them. So this project goes back, we have a sanctuary at one of our fields and we're going to be planting all of these different trees this week on Tuesday down there. There's about There'll be about 20 of us going. We're coming from Canada, Australia, and the US, and the Mexico team will be there. And we're all going to have a day of planting these agave as part of this rewilding project. And if anybody wants to get involved, come October, we do our Paloma Month, which is basically when we talk, really invest in, invest in accounts that also have sustainability. And we have a feature of Paloma, and every Paloma that you drink in that month will help go towards funding this project.

That's amazing.

Yeah, really fun.

That's amazing. I mean, it's, I mean, I think people, um, buy brands based on that. Like, what is, what do you, what does the brand stand for? Right. And, and, you know, because, you know, you exist because of the, the ability to get that, that, that, that, uh, stuff for those agaves. But if you overcultivate, you might not have the opportunity to continue to bring this great product, you know, to market.

Yeah.

Which is, which is tremendous. Well, um, we always ask everybody the most important question here as we wrap up.

Oh boy.

Yeah. It's everybody gets the same question. So if you've watched the, if you've watched our podcast, you would know the answer to the question, maybe just joking, but everybody has a different answer. Just want to, your journey's incredible, but I'm curious what you think the difference between success and failure is.

I want to say confidence. I think if you are someone who's, or a brand or a person who's extremely confident, you can find success even through failure. So, it's, it's really important to keep that. And I, I, I think that sometimes even in this journey that I've gone through, right, where I've had incredible opportunities and moments and, and it's just been awesome, there's times when I doubt myself or something happens and I feel like a failure, but if I don't bring that confidence back, I will never be successful again. So it's really important.

What keeps you confident?

There's a lot of things. I think community is a really big part of it. Um, I try in this day and age not to self-isolate as much as like it's, it's able to, right? You don't have to leave your house if you don't want to, especially after the pandemic. We all kind of learned to live on our own, right? So it's, it's really being active, being out there, being present and showing up for other people so you can have someone come and show up for you. And that's That's, that will make you successful as well.

Yeah. I'm a big advocate of getting out in the wild.

Yeah.

We all, you know, it's funny where technology's come and enabled us. And like, think about, we're doing like this podcast right now, you know, and the pandemic got us here really quickly and enabled us to do these virtual calls. I remember when there was the lockdown and I think a couple of weeks later we were like trying to communicate and then somehow we were all trying to think there's this thing called Zoom. We tried this out. Like, you know, people innovated really quick. Right. And people are showing up in their Zoom thing and, you know, dogs are running around, kids are screaming. Now it's like, it's accepting. Like I was on a call today and my dog was barking, loses his mind. And I was talking to, you know, a person wants to come on the podcast actually. And I'm like, hey, give me 5 seconds. I gotta go take care of the dog. You know, it's just like everything's interwoven. So you don't, there's no hiding anything, but I love the, I love the word community.

Mm-hmm.

That's what the Drink Up stands for. That's what we stand for at Bev Assets. And that's what Tromba stands for too. And you, uh, Katie O'Donnell, this has been a great, um, conversation today.

Thank you.

Really appreciate it. Um, our, you know, what rings true to me is your journey. I wanted people to hear that because there's so many people that are trying to find a role or they lost a role. And you, you're the, the, you sharing that is so important that, you know, you found a path. You started on this one journey to be an actress and do the Broadway thing. But then you found like your, your calling. Yeah. And, and you, and you, and you delivered on your promises. You put your head down, you made things happen. And there's so many people and there's a lot of young people coming out, even older people, all shapes and sizes. But it's like, I'm thinking, hey, you know, like if you lost your job, go bartend.

Yeah. Show up. You gotta keep showing up. You gotta keep getting out there. 'Cause yeah, it's, yeah, there's, there'll be an opportunity and you can't get that opportunity if you put yourself out there.

Yeah, exactly. I learned that. I mean, it just, you know, and, you know, a gentleman by the name of Lloyd Sobel, maybe Lloyd will capture this, but Lloyd told me a few years ago, he said, often where you start is not where you'll end, but you just got to hit go and start. And I thought that was a lot of wisdom coming from Lloyd for sure. And I really very much appreciated him sharing that. I very much appreciate you. Thank you so much for coming on. Thanks everybody for coming. Um, yeah, please remain on the line. I'm gonna hit stop and everybody have a happy 4th of July. And, uh, I don't even know if we're running live on 4th. I don't think we're running live on the 4th. So I wish everybody, uh, till next week, uh, we'll be back at Drink Up after the holiday, uh, weekend. See.