Partnership brings together America’s largest independent family-owned spirits supplier and Mexico’s first family of Tequila
BARDSTOWN, KY—Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc., the nation’s largest independent family-owned spirits supplier, has announced a joint venture with Tierra de Agaves, the Mexican spirits company founded by Francisco Beckmann and sons, former co-owner of Jose Cuervo. The partnership involves joint ownership of the Lunazul and La Certeza Tequila brands, combining Heaven Hill’s global distribution network and marketing expertise with Tierra de Agaves’ multi-generational focus on cultivating estate-grown blue agave plants and producing the finest 100% Agave Tequilas.
The arrangement brings together two of the last remaining family-owned and operated companies in an industry that was once known for its interrelated, independent players. In today’s environment of mergers, acquisitions and “right-sizing”, the coming together of two recognizable and highly successful family-owned spirits concerns is quite noteworthy.
Heaven Hill will add Lunazul and La Certeza to a portfolio that already includes leading spirits brands such as Evan Williams Bourbon, Christian Brothers Brandy, Burnett’s Gin and Vodka, Hpnotiq and Pama Pomegranate Liqueur. Lunazul is a super-premium 100% agave Tequila offered in both Blanco and Reposado bottlings. But while its pedigree and taste profile are top-tier, at $19.99 and $21.99, respectively, for a 750ml bottle, Lunazul is actually priced at parity with premium “mixto” Tequilas—those that use only 51% agave in their recipe and replicate the golden hue of barrel-aging through the use of coloring agents. Lunazul is also available in a 1.0 liter size, and both the liter and 750ml are presented in cutting edge packaging that appeals to the target Echo Boom consumers through a unique “tribal” die-cut wrap-around label and background “tattoo” graphics, but still reflects the tradition of the category with traditional hand-tooled label design and wolf and agave icons.
La Certeza is an award-winning 100% agave Tequila that is positioned to combine a sophisticated image with traditional Mexican authenticity. Available in Blanco ($40), Reposado ($45) and Anejo ($60) 750ml and 50ml bottlings, La Certeza was awarded a Gold and two Silver Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. La Certeza is the culmination of the skills of 7 generations of Tequileros and agave growers, packaged in a unique bottle that is inspired by its Aztec and colonial Mexican heritage. The chiseled, angular package, which hearkens back to the pre-Colombian pyramids, creates a strikingly masculine design, offset by the simplicity and minimalism of the label graphics.
Both Lunazul and La Certeza are estate-grown, small-batch distilled and bottled approximately 5 kilometers from the town of Tequila in Jalisco province. The state-of-the-art distillery, completed in 2002, is located between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River, a region recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The vertical integration of source materials, distillation and bottling ensures consistency of taste and quality, backed by the legacy of the Beckmann family. Francisco Beckmann Vidal, founder of Tierra de Agaves, was the co-owner along with his brother Juan of Tequila Cuervo, which they inherited from their father, Juan Beckmann Gallardo, the son of Virginia Gallardo, sole heir of Tequila Cuervo. Tierra de Agaves is one of the few Tequila distilleries that actually own the land on which the agave is grown and harvested, carefully selected from the 3,500 acres of Weber Blue Agave plants that the Beckmann family and their past generations have controlled since 1758.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, as the largest independent family-owned spirits supplier in the United States, will support the launch of the Lunazul and La Certeza Tequila brands with the sales and marketing resources that have also made it the seventh largest overall spirits producer in the country. “Our partnership with Tierra de Agaves is an arrangement that brings together two like-minded, growth-oriented families who have had a substantial track record of success in the spirits industry,” noted Heaven Hill president Max L. Shapira. “We believe the addition of the Lunazul and La Certeza brands significantly bolsters our company’s portfolio in the Tequila segment, where 10-11% per annum growth continues to outpace the rest of the spirits industry.”
Founded in 1934, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heaven-hill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned marketer and producer of distilled spirits products. Aging in its facilities is the second largest holding of Kentucky whiskey in the world. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio includes: The Christian Brothers Brandies; Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; Whaler’s Rum; Burnett’s Gin and Vodkas; Dubonnet Aperitif; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Água Luca Brazilian Rum Cachaça, Scotch Whiskies; Canadian Whiskies; vodka; gins; rums; tequilas; cognacs; liqueurs; cordials; and dessert wines. Heaven Hill is based in Bardstown, KY.
CONTACT:
Larry Kass
Director of Corporate Communications
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.
(502) 413-0220
lkass@heaven-hill.com
