Mandala Tequila - Humberto and Craig
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Today\\u2019s guests are Humberto Ibarra and Craig Cartozian, co-founders of Mandala Tequila. If it feels like tequila is in a golden age right now, you\\u2019re not imagining things. Between the plethora of tequila varieties, celebrity-owned companies, and competition from its cousin mezcal, walking down the tequila aisle of a liquor store is sure to present you with any number of options. So if you\\u2019re a tequila company, how do you stand out? First, you need a good product. That should go without saying. Then, you need an eye-catching vessel. If you\\u2019re at a store that sells Mandala, it\\u2019s unlikely that you\\u2019ll miss them. They\\u2019ve got the most ornate ceramic bottles you\\u2019ve ever seen, decorated by hand and featuring designs that celebrate Mexican folklore and culture. Of course, it doesn\\u2019t hurt that what\\u2019s inside the bottle is also just as memorable. Mandala\\u2019s journey hasn\\u2019t all been sun-kissed though, as they very nearly failed to find a foothold in the crowded tequila market.
Listen in as we cover everything from how they created their own niche by going against conventional wisdom in releasing their extra a\\xf1ejo first, the initial challenges of convincing restaurants to stock their product, and why there\\u2019s no shortcut to success in the tequila market\\u2026unless you happen to be The Rock.
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