Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayo Akindele.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mayo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always had an affinity for traveling, got it from my mother. My love for business comes from my father, it’s almost a birthright. My family moved to Houston, Texas from Lagos, Nigeria when I was six, and since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be an international businessman. I studied International Business & Finance at Trinity University, where I had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain for a year. This is where my addiction to travel and the development of my Spanish speaking skills began.
After graduation, while working in corporate, I started making frequent trips to Mexico. During my travels in Mexico, I was exposed to a wider range of higher quality tequilas, chase face and hangover-free, that I never knew existed. When I asked around why they weren’t available Stateside, they answered, “They just aren’t exporting to the USA.” It was then I realized I had an opportunity to not only help change the negative stigmas of the agave spirit but also create an innovative business model in a traditional industry based on something I loved.
So I traveled to Jalisco, Mexico where after networking and research, I partnered with one of the most awarded distilleries in Mexico to create the recipe for Serpiente Ultra Premium Tequila!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road wouldn’t exactly be the words I would use. In addition to traditional barriers such as lack of access to large amounts of capital, I’ve also had to deal with barriers such as language and cultural barriers. A lot of tequila companies come from families, companies & groups from Mexico that have been growing and distilling agave for decades. So myself being a young, black male, it’s safe to say that I am the complete opposite of what people are used to when they think of tequila producers.
Another struggle has been having to deal with the legal and bureaucratic process of trying to export tequila from Mexico. Mexico has the rights to tequila (think Champagne, France), so it’s not necessarily as easy as submitting a form online, and you’re cleared for exportation. Having to work with lawyers & brokers on both sides of the border as well as multiple government agencies has been a journey, to say the least.
Serpiente Tequila – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Serpiente Ultra Premium Tequila is the first spirit under the umbrella for my liquor importation company based out of Texas, the Nomad Spirits Company. Serpiente Tequila is made from 100% Weber Blue Agave & bottled in one of a kind crystal glass king cobra bottles in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. To make Serpiente, we use a carefully selected mixture of 50% Highland Agave and 50% Lowland Agave and use naturally refined water that’s been treated via reverse osmosis & deionization. We believe Serpiente is truly the best of both worlds. Handmade small batch tequila has done right! Apart from our high quality tequila and visually captivating bottle, Serpiente Tequila will offer experiences to consumers such as access to private invite only Serpiente sponsored events, shows, music/food festivals, tequila tastings, networking opportunities & more with your purchase.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Making the leap from a comfortable corporate consulting career to falling apart and putting myself together every day for the past year. Haha, jokes aside, it’s been an amazing feeling mentally designing an idea and product then actually going out and creating it. Making something happen after people said you couldn’t. That’s why the slogan for the brand is “Tequila for the BOLD.”
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2139925854
- Email: serpientetequila@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/serpientetequila
- Facebook: facebook.com/serpientetequila
- Twitter: twitter.com/serpientetequila
- Other: linkedin.com/serpientetequila
Image Credit:
Nomad Spirits Company
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