Mexican spirits company Casa Lumbre is on a roll.
Last year, following the launches of a ready-to-drink tequila cocktail with Spirit of Gallo and a premium Mexican orange liqueur, master distiller Ivan Saldaña also partnered with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton on a non-alc agave spirit. It wasn’t the first time the innovator has teamed up with celebrities (Lenny Kravitz backed the company’s Nocheluna sotol). Nor was it the first time the company has leveraged partnerships with BevAlc’s biggest players: Campari acquired a majority stake in Montelobos Mezcal and Ancho Reyes in 2019, and Pernod-Ricard has also bought stakes in several brands.
We chatted with co-founder Moises Guindi and Saldaña about what guides their innovation strategy, where they see opportunity beyond agave spirits, and why they don’t let category structure influence their releases.
Casa Lumbre has launched a number of new products back-to-back, can you tell me about the strategy behind launching products in quick succession?
At Casa Lumbre, our mission is to innovate and incubate the next generation of unique premium spirits. We anticipate trends and identify opportunities to bring extraordinary products and experiences to life that ignite the senses and emotions to enrich people worldwide.
Some years, our launches may feel in quick succession, while other years are spaced wide apart; the truth is that there are many years of development and refinement to each, and while we stay very agile, we cannot always control when that process is complete.
Tell me more about your innovation philosophy in general: what’s the strategy moving forward and what are some of your criteria as you examine the potential for new products and partnerships?
We started as a Mexican company seeking to bring the cultural heritage of Mexico to the world through our spirits. Sometimes, that means creating a mezcal like Montelobos and sharing the union of tradition and innovation; sometimes, it means making a whisky like Abasolo from heirloom corn from the very birthplace of corn.
While we’re true to our roots, we’re also inspired by the future. Our success in categories as diverse as vodka and Irish whiskey demonstrates that our liquid philosophies transcend borders and cultures. We’re constantly pushing boundaries and serving a diverse group of spirits enthusiasts.
How has that changed over time, does Casa Lumbre have the same kind of mission from when you started? What have been some of your biggest challenges?
While Casa Lumbre is best known for successfully developing and launching many Mexican spirits, including Milagro Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal, and Abasolo Whiskey, we are, at our core, an engine for innovation and reimagination. Today’s innovation and drinkers are not restrained by the traditional way of seeing spirits or bound by outdated geography, ingredients, processes, and category structures. There are countless challenges every day with being innovators and entrepreneurs.
However, one of the most fundamental challenges is knowing when an idea is ready. Sometimes, that is our standard for liquid; other times, it is based on the market’s readiness.
One of those recently launched products was the Alma Finca Orange Liqueur, and in the past Casa Lumbre has launched other less common Mexican spirits and liqueurs: How does the demand for tequila and mezcal compare to the opportunities for other Mexican beverages?
The growth of demand for tequila and mezcal has been exciting for us. But these two categories only represent a portion of Mexico’s diverse land, people, and history. We are excited to bring lesser-known regions and ingredients to more people around the world—for example, Sotol allowed us to tell the story of the natural elements that thrive in the Chihuahuan desert, capturing the vegetal and fresh taste from dry earth minerality.
Alma Finca Orange Liqueur is another opportunity that allowed us to showcase the bright and tropical conditions of the Yucatan. We’re proud of the diversity of our spirits that captures the attention of extraordinarily skilled mixologists or curious home cocktail makers.
Another release, VMC, is aimed primarily at the Mexican audience in the U.S., with an initial release planned for select markets with large Mexican-American populations. With all the buzz about Mexican spirits lately, how much of the focus of the category has been on launching products directed towards Mexican audiences and where do you see your general portfolio resonating?
All drinkers deserve quality and authenticity in the spirits they drink. We are excited that Mexican food, beverage, and culture resonate with a global audience; no one has higher standards of authentic Mexican spirits than Mexicans.
You just launched a NA agave spirit, do you see Casa Lumbre wading much more into non-alc?
The recent launch of Almave Blue Agave Spirit, a first-of-its-kind non-alcoholic blue agave spirit, was an exciting challenge for us. We are immensely proud to have introduced real agave and traditional tequila distillation into the non-alc category. We believed it was important to provide people who enjoy drinking tequila an option that still captured the fresh and distinct agave taste without the alcohol.