Premium Suave Tequila has sustainability standards best represented through the three pillars ranging from their care for the environment, supply chain equity, and economic stability in all their business practices. With 100% organic farming practices, they use their agave byproducts as compost for their vegetable farm and to feed their livestock and are looking forward to also reusing or biodegrading other aspects of their final product’s packaging in the years to come.
Deborah Ernst, the Head of International Sales, highlights what that means to them.
How did it all start?
It all started with a dream to change the world! In 2019, I landed a superb opportunity as Head of International Sales for Suave, a fantastic, truly luxurious tequila brand. I’m proud to say that Suave is one of the most amazing companies I know. We’re a small, family-owned company where things don’t always go perfectly, and we’ve made our share of mistakes. What makes us truly remarkable is the passion, dedication, and hard work that everyone puts in every day. Our determination to strive equally for high quality and sustainability helps set us apart. The idea for the company first arose in 2014, and the products launched in 2017.
What values are at the core of your business and drive your mission?
Our values are to deliver joy to consumers through our beautiful products, to be responsible stewards of the land where we grow agave and create our tequilas, to be environmentally sustainable throughout the process, and to give back to the community not just by supporting our colleagues but by aiding their families and the infrastructure of the place where we are based. This means actively working to promote biodiversity – from mammals and birds to the smallest plants and insects. At the heart of all that we do is the creation of pure products with no additives, like Suave Tequila– no colourings, no flavourings and no sugar.
What does it mean to your brand to be Butterfly Mark certified? How do you strive to maintain this reputation and responsibility of the certification?
Since the establishment of our company, and even before, when it was just a compelling dream about making this a reality, we knew one thing: things in the tequila sector had to change. Sustainability has always been our core principle. Every move we made, every decision taken, always began with the question: “Will this have a positive environmental or community impact?”
Simply put, being certified with a Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury means a lot to us, especially considering that we are not a big corporate company. We work hard on all our projects every day, and knowing we were able to achieve this recognition is huge for us. We are one of only three tequila brands in the world to have achieved this accreditation. We have many groundbreaking initiatives in mind for sustainability in our industry, and we are committed to figuring out how to make them a reality.
How does the attention to detail with organic processes and sustainable sourcing enhance the taste of your Tequila?
For us, it’s all about giving the product base – the agave – room to shine, delivering the real, natural taste. It’s not necessarily about having more flavour per se but having an elaborate and complex flavour profile based on the natural real taste of agave – as a sipping tequila should be. Using natural pest control rather than pesticides, for example: sunflowers instead of chemicals. It’s a natural choice.
What differentiates your Tequila brand from others and where is the conventional route defied?
In tequila production, there are numerous methods to create a product, each influenced by the desired taste profile, target audience, and price point. Traditionally, tequila has been seen as a party drink, commonly used in shots and cocktails. At Suave, we aim to educate consumers and demonstrate that tequilas can be crafted differently, elevating them to compete with the finest whiskies or Cognacs. Our goal is to offer a product that can be sipped and enjoyed in a leisurely way, without the urge to overindulge – heightening the senses, not destroying them. We also rely on natural fermentation processes.
Colourants and other additives are all too frequently used and the prevalence of cheap tequilas and mixtos has put pressure on the land, as Tequila is a controlled product that can only come from one area of Mexico. By owning and developing our own land and even cultivating our agave plants from seedlings throughout their 6-7 years of life, we ensure a different approach to many.
What would you like to see happen next in the sustainability journey and some future goals?
Through our belief in organic methods, we’ve seen biodiversity escalate beyond our dreams, for example. Done correctly, it can save money not to use chemicals. For years, before our business started, our region of Mexico suffered from hunting which led to a lot of loss of biodiversity but by careful management, SUAVE was able to reintroduce many animal species and plants species due to thoughtful environmental agricultural processes and biodiversity initiatives using polyculture and permaculture. The result has been that a farm and distillery operation designed to produce a product for human enjoyment is also home now to bats (who inhabit a cave on the ranch) rabbits, coyotes, bees, beetles, and other species.
We are keen to raise the profile of our brand and to see Suave Tequila in even more high-end venues and retailers in the UK, USA and elsewhere. So, sales are very much on our radar.
How do sustainable practices reinforce your commitment to the community?
We assure respectful and humane treatment of all our collaborators and pay higher than living wages to our team. Hacienda Suave is based close to some very poor communities and we feel it is important to give back, especially to the communities that helped us to grow. We worked on a spectacular reconnecting project by building accessible roads for everyone replacing paths that were in a terrible condition for years, making it difficult for people to commute or even access basic rights such as schools and hospitals. We help local families to attain economic stability and a decent standard of living and as a result, children can go to school because their parents earn a living wage. Unfortunately, in Mexico a lot of communities are forgotten, especially women or indigenous people.
How is transparency changing the Tequila industry? How do you maintain this part of brand ethos?
Our company stemmed from a deep desire to be different, perhaps even a rebellious urge to complicate life in the most rewarding ways. The founders were deeply committed to producing a truly natural, artisanal, and traditional tequila with a modern twist and a touch of luxury. They were disruptors from the start.
Unfortunately, Mexican culture is often portrayed in foreign countries as part of a cheap party scene, which doesn’t do justice to Mexico’s rich traditions, admirable culture, culinary excellence, and high-quality products. They aimed to create a tequila that embodies the authenticity and sophistication of Mexico, highlighting its true essence and heritage and it’s a mission I fully support, too. By doing so, we hope to challenge and change the misconceptions about Mexican culture and showcase the depth, tradition, and quality that it truly offers.
By adhering strictly to these practices, we aim to create tequila that not only meets but exceeds expectations of purity, flavour complexity, and authenticity.
For more information, check out suavetequila.com
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All imagery courtesy of Premium Suave Tequila.