Jon Basil Tequila, a Chicago based, Black millennial-owned tequila company, is shaking up the spirits industry.

The worldwide tequila market itself reached a worth of $13 billion in 2021, making it the US’s most-purchased spirit by value. So with a lot money to be made, it’s no surprise that Black people have launched their very own spirits and wine brands in record numbers.

Founded in 2018 by Uduimoh Umolu, a toddler of immigrant parents from Ghana, he developed a passion for spirits early on and recognized immediately that there’s a lack of Black representation within the spirits industry. Following an inspirational visit to Jalisco, Mexico, he decided to collaborate together with his business partner, Belall Taher, to create a high-end premium tequila that’s proudly powered and designed by young millennial creators. 

While their brand has amassed a dedicated customer base with over 350 locations statewide in Illinois, the pair shortly began distributing in other states after securing deals with Walmart and Binny’s. In an interview with ESSENCE, Umolu shares the challenges of bootstrapping a spirits brand, the inspiration behind Jon Basil and the worth of partnerships in business.

What sparked your passion for the spirits industry? 

Spirits have all the time been an enormous anchor in our community. Amongst family and friends we all the time are inclined to come together whether we’re celebrating and even during tough times for reflection we share a drink. Life has all the time been about bringing folks together to have good experiences and It was essential to have ownership and real partnership with the spirit brands that were pillars during those times. 

Tell me more in regards to the name behind Jon Basil Tequila? Why did you select to honor these two individuals for the name of the brand? 

Jon is my grandfather’s name, and Basil is the name of the one who helped support my father during his journey of going to high school here within the States. In our family it’s tradition to call your first son after your father but each he “Jon” and Basil were so integral in his life he combined the 2 names for his oldest son. Ultimately this gave me the chance to be born and raised in Chicago, so we all the time recognize and  pay homage to those who have come before us and sacrificed to present us the opportunities now we have today. Every sip is a toast to those people. 

What are among the belongings you considered during that process? 

In the course of the process it was extremely essential for us to grow to be a student first and learn as much as possible in regards to the spirit that we were creating. Tequila has such a wealthy culture, fueled by centuries of tradition so learning the correct technique to do things was the primary item of agenda. After that ensuring your creating a novel product that actually tells your story in order that it’s an authentic representation of your voice and journey was imperative. Paying close attention to each detail, and ensuring there may be a meaning while still keeping things easy was also crucial.

What were the challenges of bootstrapping your corporation?

The challenge was not having the resources to execute the vision to the magnitude that we actually see in our heads. You might have to sometimes scale down and work with what you’ve gotten. Nevertheless, I actually see this as a chance to get creative with the brand while being patient find ways to proceed to execute while learning and preparing for after we truly have the resources to scale as much as the larger vision. 

How did you discover and discover the manufacturers that you just work with? What makes a successful partnership and what advice are you able to share for fellow business owners on finding the correct partners? 

Finding the correct partners is one of the essential things. It could actually make or break you. We failed at this initially and had to begin from scratch. Starting over with the knowledge we gained and other people we had met the primary time helped us to essentially discover the correct partners. If you find the correct partner, feeling could be very essential. There must be a powerful level and feeling of trust and ultimately being in complete alignment of vision towards the common goal. Never rush a partnership, so if it sounds too good to be true it often is.  

Do you’ve gotten a business coach or mentor, and in that case, how has this person helped? 

It was tough to search out a coach and mentor initially along the road since the industry was very untraditional within the communities we’re an element of. Nevertheless over time you realize you may learn from everyone. Out of your peers, teachers, elders and other builders and innovators that you just respect. I even have many advisors which can be in numerous industries that I often attempt to bounce ideas off of or sound board. It’s extremely helpful to talk with folks which have an objective viewpoint and may take a zoomed out approach to situations you’re in. It has also been extremely helpful to have folks just reach back into their network to try to align me with individuals that will find a way to lend some knowledge. 

How did COVID-19 impacted your corporation operations? What tactics and techniques did you’ve gotten you place in place to pivot and ensure your corporation was successful through this era?

A big portion of our business was on premise initially so We actually needed to get creative because we were now not in a position to have our customers meet the brand in person. We found ways to still construct community and host experiences either virtually or safely distanced. But ultimately making a technique to communicate with our customers and open up dialog to share our stories was helpful. 

Our supply chain got heavily impacted by covid as a small business as well. We had to change our strategy to essentially being focused and intentional with our reach and our delegation of resources. We selected to go deeper and more focused slightly than widespread.