Tequila is a complicated spirit and with its growing popularity comes a bevy of opinions about just what the drink can do and should be. For Carlos Soto, founder of Nosotros Tequila & Mezcal, Tequila is a calling that should ignite passion in those fortunate enough to taste it.
Soto’s brand has been available on Southern California shelves since its formation in 2017. According to the company, its balanced and vibrant taste ignites that passion but Soto’s own inspiration for the brand happened in a more sedate environment, the classroom.
Born through the development of a college project, where then-Loyola Marymount Professor Matt Richter-Sand challenged students in his Managing New Ventures course to pitch a business that had nothing to do with technology.
"I literally remember our professor grabbing his phone and just throwing it on the table like ‘Forget about your phone. Look around and see what’s happening," said Soto.
Soto took his words to heart, and while out with friends at a local bar that same night, he noticed the growing popularity of tequila.
"It was way before every celebrity and their mother had a tequila brand," joked Soto. Soto experienced this trend personally, as tequila had been his preferred drink since he first tried it after moving to Los Angeles from Costa Rica in 2014. Inspired by his old roots and new taste, Soto formed the beginnings of Nosotros for his class pitch, focusing on the sustainability that was central to both his Costa Rican culture and Los Angeles lifestyle.
However strong the pitch was, Soto ended up making an ergonomic knife as his project instead. "I’m so happy it happened that way because I feel like if I, if I would have worked on this in class, I probably wouldn’t have done it," said Soto. Although he continued his tequila venture beyond class, LMU was important to Soto’s development of the company. "There are certain classes I think [that] really impacted the way I think about business and of how Nosotros started, but ultimately it’s also the people that you’re around," said Soto.
Outside of class, tequila’s popularity continued to grow, pushing Soto to take initiative and travel to Jalisco, Mexico for a hands-on tequila production experience.
"After the trip to Mexico I was in love with [tequila] like the plants, the land, soil, the market, people. They’re so passionate about it and it’s very contagious," said Soto. He shadowed a local woman-owned and family-run distillery that has been producing tequila for over 80 years, and Nostros still proudly works with them today to create their distinct floral and earthy flavors.
"I had saved a little bit of money, but it was enough to make the first few samples front and back," said Soto. Those first samples were then savored by a select group of friends and LMU professors at an intimate tasting. "There was one formula that everyone loved. And that’s actually what Nosotros Blanco is today, which hasn’t really changed since," said Soto. After graduating a few months later, Soto made his first batch of Blanco and asked fellow LMU alumni Michael Arbanas to join the company as CFO.
"I’m a very type D personality, first of all, but more on the creative side or more operational. He’s very type A: very finance driven …We complement each other very well," said Soto.
Nostros became committed to the craft of tequila, the people who make and enjoy it, and sustainability. The name itself, which means "we" or "us" in Spanish, celebrates the community they aim to form around their tequila.
Both their tequila and mezcal are produced from two small distilleries in Mexico that in total employ over 50 women and their families, and they use traditional techniques to produce the unique blend of agaves that give Nosotros their harmonious flavors. These techniques produce not only a higher quality taste, but a lower aldehyde content, which basically means less toxins and less hangovers. Their bottles are made out of 100% recycled bottles, and their labels are even made from leftover agave fibers.
"[We] want to be about good memories and friends [and] keep that at the core of our brand. That’s why we do certain things in the distillation process that make it a cleaner experience," said Soto.
Nosotros sold their first bottle of Nosotros Blanco in 2018 to local bar Bacari, and had their big break after winning Best Tequila and a double Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine and Spirits Competition. Now, Nosotros has expanded to produce Mezcal, and can be found in almost all 50 states, plus Mexico and Costa Rica and there are plans to expand to Spain and beyond.
"I think there’s still a lot of room to tell our story. I think a lot of people have gotten to know the brand without knowing much about it. I honestly hope that we can become a more viable option for most people," said Soto.
For more information about the brand, check out their website at nosotrostequila.com
Antoinette Damico, SMDP Intern