She Created Her Own Tequila Brand

An excerpt from Essence -

She Wanted A Healthier Spirit, Now She’s The First Black Woman To Lead A Tequila Brand

AFTER STARTING OUT AS AN OCCASIONAL TEQUILA DRINKER, NAYANA BECAME AN ENTHUSIAST DUE TO THE LOW-SUGAR CONTENT OF TEQUILA. NOW SHE'S AN ENTREPRENEUR SUCCESSFULLY SELLING THE SPIRIT. 

By VICTORIA UWUMAROGIE

MADDI IBANEZ

Nayana Ferguson was only an occasional tequila drinker when she met her husband, Don, in 2014. He loved the drink, and taught her about the different expressions, or types, including Blanco, Reposado and Anejo, and they came across some amazing, sip-worthy tastes.  It didn’t take long for her to become a tequila enthusiast.  

“We started tasting different tequilas and started learning more about the history of this amazing agave spirit,” she tells ESSENCE. “It takes the agave plant around seven to eight years to grow to maturity, just to get to the point where the tequila-making process begins. It is unlike any other spirit in the world, which is why tequila has become so popular now.”

In addition to being impressed with the story behind the spirit and admiring the flavors, Nayana, a pancreatic cancer survivor, found that since tequila is a drink naturally low in sugar, it was a superior option for her as she prioritizes keeping her sugar intake low. 

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As her appreciation for it grew, she was soon inspired to find ways to bring flavorful, but still healthy versions of the spirit to the masses. So she decided to develop a premium tequila with Don. That’s how Anteel Tequilla, named with the Antillean Crested Hummingbird in mind that the couple encountered during a trip to the Dominican Republic, came to be. During that trip, he proposed to her. It was also the first time they broached the topic of creating their own tequila brand, a discussion that was delightfully interrupted by the hummingbird that would be the brand’s logo and the inspiration for its name. 

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The tequilas, which are already attracting serious clientele by generating nearly a quarter of a million in sales and receiving rave reviews (they have won gold at the SIP Awards, as well as silver and bronze at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition) can currently be found in eight states. (Michigan, California, Georgia, Texas, Florida, the New York metro area and Colorado). The brand has plans to expand to more states in 2022. It can also be purchased on the Anteel Tequila website, which ships nationally.

https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/anteel-tequila-nayana-ferguson/