Eva Longoria and Alejandra Pelayo talk tequila and their mission to empower Mexican women

Longoria: For me, I was very excited to get behind a tequila brand that is, first, Mexican forward (laughs). We’re honoring the art of tequila making, we’re honoring the region of Jalisco, and really bringing to the forefront the idea that tequila at the end of the day is a Mexican product, wanting to make sure that we celebrate our distillery, our agaveros, our team down in Mexico. Our distillery is 100% Mexican owned and that’s really rare. When I decided to join this brand that is what I was most excited about. Again pouring back to the community, not just taking out. I think tequila is… “como se dice muy de moda en inglés?” In vogue? We should be honoring the people that made tequila, which are the Mexicans. That’s what I love most about this brand. And then the second part is that we have a lot of women in key positions, something that is not normal in the industry.

Pelayo: Definitely not normal. We are seen as a rare project right now because there are not a lot of females in the tequila industry. One of the things that excite me the most about us being in this company is being a part of a brand that’s loyal to the tradition, the history, the culture of tequila, while also empowering women in Mexico and in the tequila industry in key positions that they haven’t had an opportunity to work in.

Longoria: Well, Ale has more upfront experience with this, she’s been in the industry for her entire professional career. For me, just as an outsider coming in, I was like ‘Of course, women would be good at this! We’re multi-taskers, we’re problem-solvers, we’re efficient.‘ And so when I looked at the industry I was actually surprised that there weren’t master distillers that were women, that there weren’t more CEOs that were women. But Ale can tell you about the challenges.

Pelayo: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of challenges ahead but I think we’re starting at the right path with what we’re doing. Talking about this is the first step, you know? Recognizing that there’s an issue, that there’s something happening. Even in a negotiation with the supplier, things are very different when they involve a man, so it’s cool and it’s interesting to be a part of this talk and to put this on the table. I think by looking at what’s going on with Casa Del Sol, more and more awareness will be raised on this topic.

Pelayo: Yeah, of course! The new generations in this industry and in other industries that have been historically dominated by men, you know like, architecture and engineering in Mexico, all of these industries. I feel like we’re an inspiration for them and we’re also talking about it, creating awareness. Of course, we want new generations to follow and to do what they want to do.

Longoria: So, Ale and our founder, Steph (Sebbag), they have been working on this project for years. Years before I came on board. When they were looking for a partner, I won’t speak for Ale, but when you look for a partner, you know, you look at all of the… I wouldn’t even say celebrity brand, because that really wasn’t what they were looking for, but they were looking for a Mexican, a female. When you look at all the brands in the marketplace it’s like white males on a motorcycle, you know? And the truth is that women are one of the number one consumers of tequila. I have a lot of activism with the Mexican community. I care deeply about female entrepreneurship. It was almost like a match made in heaven. They had already come up with this beautiful concept, and I got to join in on their fun.

Pelayo: It was amazing. Someone that is involved in all these values that are so important to the brand was very important for us. There was no other person that could have done this job.

Longoria: I think it’s important to celebrate and applaud women who are doing extraordinary things, specifically Latinas. We’re the fastest-growing demographic in the United States, but Latinas in particular are the most entrepreneurial. We start small businesses six times the national average. People should know that. We are fueling the economy of the United States. Small businesses fuel the economy and we’re at the forefront of those small businesses. So the fact that you guys recognize and applaud so many of these women, building empires, companies, small businesses, whatever it is, they should be applauded and honored because it’s not easy. And there’s no equity in that opportunity. Talent is there but the opportunities are not distributed equally, so the fact that these women are pursuing this avenue and then succeeding at it, they should absolutely be recognized. I’m so excited that you guys have this list. It should be a year-round list (laughs).

Longoria: Yeah. It’s a lot. But you know, as I said, I’m a Latina. I’m used to being the CEO of my life. You have to juggle many things at the same time. My family is my priority. My career is a priority, my activism is a priority, my business is a priority, everything is a priority. Everything is time sensitive and important. I come from the mindset that there’s more time in the day than you think. We waste a lot of time in the day and so, I don’t do that. I am very efficient and productive with my day. I actually say no to more things than yes, so having that freedom to say, ‘that is not a worthy investment of my time and energy’ is really important to me. You just do it. I think a lot of people look and are like ‘How do you do it?’ and you just do it, you figure it out. And by the way, I’m not the first woman to juggle all of these things. There are women every day, juggling four kids with a career, with a husband, taking care of their mother, and taking care of their community. I look to all of those women as my inspiration.

Longoria: Thank you for not only highlighting our tequila but highlighting the amazing women like Alejandra who are behind it. We have a female master distiller, we have a female CEO. These things are rare and we should always put a spotlight on them.