Black Historical past Month is a time for honoring and sharing the tales of African People of yesterday and at present. Within the beverage business, Nayana Ferguson is leaving her mark on historical past along with her personal tequila model, Anteel Tequila.
Co-founding the enterprise along with her husband, Don, Ferguson first received the thought to begin a tequila model after she and her husband had been on trip within the Dominican Republic in 2016. On the time, they had been celebrating her husband’s birthday and he proposed to Ferguson.
In 2017, after job modifications and losses, Ferguson and her husband mentioned potential enterprise and funding concepts. She requested him if he may do something on this planet, what would he do? His reply was to personal a tequila firm, however didn’t imagine they may do it. Ferguson requested, “Why not?”
“Two days later, I discovered the distillery that we nonetheless work with at present, I put collectively a plan, crunched some numbers and got here up with a price range for a small batch of tequila,” the CEO remembers. “This was the start of one thing that may change our lives without end. Inside 11 months, on Aug. 27, 2018, Anteel Tequila was in the marketplace and on the cabinets.”
Ferguson, who’s a pancreatic and breast most cancers survivor, is specific about what she places into her physique. As a result of tequila is made naturally from the agave plant, it’s gluten-free, low in carbohydrates, low in sugars and low in energy. Ferguson can drink tequila with out many after results.
Anteel Tequila, which was born in Ferguson’s hometown of Detroit, has gained greater than 100 awards and accolades since 2019.
“As a Black girl proprietor and the primary Black girl to guide and co-own a tequila model, I’m extraordinarily grateful to have the ability to create a path for others to comply with, the place we are able to create manufacturers that talk to our ingenuity, tradition and imaginative and prescient,” Ferguson says. “This can be very necessary to me to ensure that I’m serving to to encourage ladies to create and execute no matter imaginative and prescient they’ve for his or her lives and to convey range within the areas they select to be part of.
“Ladies have to be fearless when creating the companies that they’re keen about and never let obstacles deter them,” she continues. “I sit up for persevering with to maneuver ahead on this path and bringing different ladies with me, in order that all of us can create our legacies.”
Anteel Tequila at the moment options 5 expressions in its portfolio, together with a Coconut Lime Blanco tequila and a Tarocco Blood Orange Blanco, Ferguson shares.
“All of our expressions have gained a number of awards in main worldwide spirit competitions, amassing over 100 awards/accolades, 125 to be precise (and counting) since 2019,” she says. “The Anteel Tequila portfolio is exclusive because of the world’s solely Coconut Lime Blanco tequila, our Reposado is aged in Tennessee whiskey barrels, whereas a majority of Reposados are aged in American White Oak barrels, and, as the primary Black woman-led and co-owned tequila model, now we have a singular story.”
There are plans to increase the portfolio with one other expression sooner or later, Ferguson notes. The model has many important accolades, however profitable platinum awards, double gold awards and client’s selection awards a number of years in a row are “very important” for the model.
Accessible in 15 states, Ferguson says that the model has a rising distribution footprint and is out there by means of key retail and on-premise areas.
“We even have partnerships with main distributors to increase our attain, making our award-winning tequila accessible to extra shoppers,” she states. “Moreover, prospects should purchase Anteel Tequila on-line in choose states, permitting for comfort, direct-to-consumer (DTC) supply.”
Because the model continues to develop, it’s actively increasing its presence in new markets. The model will likely be strategic with its enlargement objectives, Ferguson concludes.
