Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
Fred Dame: I am sitting with the proprietors of one of the most exciting new brands to hit the world of tequila—Campeón! What's really interest- ing is that I have known Lou Palatella for 40 years, John for 25 years and Marci, well let's just say a while! But I never expected tequila! Lou Palatella: It all started when I was talking to Marci about my retirement from Southern Wine & Spirits. I had to have something to do besides play golf every day. And I love the spirits business! Marci had this great name trademarked, Campeón. She had created it right before one of the agave shortages had stopped the original project. One thing led to another and here we are today with this exciting new brand. How did you find a partner? Lou: It was a wild search! Years ago, I made sev- eral trips to Mexico looking for someone with a strong history that could make the best quality tequila. I found this little guy in the highlands region, in Atotonilco, in the state of Jalisco. His name is Juan Nunez. He's a third-generation distiller, and we hit it off from the very beginning. We are committed to working together to make Campeón exceptional. Marci Palatella: Sitting on our counter, we had over 50 samples from various small producers. There was a distinct taste profile we had in mind and we worked through tasting and blending to nail that softer, and more elegant taste that we enjoy. The partner who could work with us on that—Juan is a long-time family friend, a very small producer and shares our standards. We work with him exclusively. John Palatella: I should point out that our factory number—our NOM—is 1107. This is one of the old- est in all of Mexico, having been established in 1937. "NOM pedigree" is becoming a more important topic for retailers and consumers. We are fortunate to be part of one of the original factories in the tequila industry. That is interesting indeed. I would venture that your price point is a little different, as is your production schedule. Lou: We loved Juan's Reposado and Añejo from the start. The Silver was a bit of a project that took a number of tries and trips to Jalisco until we found the perfect flavor profile. He makes fewer than 100,000 cases a year—a lot of which is sold down in Mexico. They are a true boutique, craft distiller and a great partner. So your volume here in the U.S. currently is about what? John: About 5,000 cases so far. We just launched nationally a few months ago and are currently dis- tributed in about 24 states. All the major markets are covered, and the reception to the brand and packaging has been more than we could have have asked for. And what is the mix of the three in sales so far? John: It's been very interesting. Our Silver is 50 percent of the mix with our Añejo and Reposado, accounting for the balance and fairly evenly split. This is a testament to the strength of each of the marques individually. What's even more interesting is that our channel split is divided evenly between on-and off-premise. I attribute this to the strength and uniqueness of our packaging in addition to the quality of our liquid. Tequila REPORT CAMPEÓN TEQUILA A New Champion: Fred Dame (far right), MS, VP/Prestige Accounts for American Wine & Spirits (a division of SWS of CA) talks with The Legacy Group (left to right): John, Lou and Marci Palatella. PHOTO: JOHN CURLEY