REEL URBAN NEWS EXCLUSIVE
By: Michael Reel
America’s drinkers enjoy more tequila than anywhere in the world. According to IWSR, an alcoholic beverages market analysis company, tequila consumption in the US is up by more than 40 percent over the past five years. Consumer research firm AC Nielsen reports tequila sales have grown 54 percent to $1.25 billion year-to-date as of July 2020.
Tequila, which produces the kick in margaritas, was first produced in the 16th century. Fast-forward five hundred years and you will discover a young, ambitious spirit and beverage company introducing an ultra-premium tequila to the marketplace, Tequila Gran Diamante.
Tequila Gran Diamante was launched in 2016 in Southern California by three business partners who strongly believed there was room in the spirits marketplace for one more ultra-premium tequila.
To learn more about Tequila Gran Diamante, Reel Urban News spoke with its head of distribution and sales, Charles Harris. “Tequila Gran Diamante is what’s called an ultra-premium tequila,” said Harris. “I believe what we’ve created based on the presentation, packaging and the juice that’s in the bottle, we can go head-to-head with other top bands.”
For Harris and his business partners, Rafi Hannouche and David Ayala, birthing and bringing Tequila Gran Diamante to the marketplace was a struggle. “It’s been a very long journey. From 2016 to now has had a lot of ups and downs. The learning curve was crazy.”
A great deal of effort went into every aspect, from concept to completion, to differentiate Gran Diamante from other tequilas in the marketplace. “We put in the hard work,” Harris explained. “From the bottle design, which was an upward climb, to the juice inside. We went into the lab until we got that perfect taste we were looking for.”
“Depending on who you talk to, some people like the sweeter tequila but we wanted a more traditional taste… smooth.”
Tequila Gran Diamante is distilled in Mexico, the birthplace of tequila. “Our distillery is in Arandas, Jalisco. Jalisco is a state in Mexico and Arandas is the town the distillery is located in,” said Harris. “If you look on the back of any bottle there is what’s called a nom number, the identification of what distillery the tequila came from. Our nom number is 1460 and the agave used has to be grown in Jalisco to even place the name ‘tequila’ on the bottle.”
Today’s market is flooded with celebrity spirit brands touted by the likes of The Rock, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Tequila Gran Diamante took a different route with NBA superstar James Harden. The stylish athlete is not the face of Gran Diamante — he is one of the silent investors.
“James came to us as a fan. He tried the brand and loved it,” said Harris. “James said, ‘I love what you guys are doing and want to be a part of it.’ He came in and we’ve been moving forward.”
Our talk with Charles Harris about Tequila Gran Diamante would be incomplete if we did not have an opportunity to taste the goodness of what he calls “the juice that’s in the bottle.” Ricardo Aguilar, a renowned mixologist at A Simple Bar in Los Angeles, provided us with several creative Tequila Gran Diamante cocktails.
At the close of Charles Harris’ exclusive interview with Michael Reel of Reel Urban News, the tequila aficionado described the principle behind every bottle of Tequila Gran Diamante.
“We want the world to enjoy tequila the way tequila was meant to be enjoyed.”
