Meet the CEO & Founder of CaliFino Tequila
We’re sitting down with our CEO & Founder Miguel Luna for a special two part Q&A! Today, we’ll discuss how our brand initially started as a “big misunderstanding,” but evolved into an impassioned project with true give-back roots. You’ll also get an inside scoop on what’s to come in 2022. Stay tuned for part two coming soon!
Q: What was your initial inspiration behind creating CaliFino?
A: CaliFino is and always will be a passion project for us. Everything from day one has been pure fun. We’re not guys who come from the conventional food and beverage industry. We are soccer players by trade, and now it’s transitioned to the CaliFino Project.
When we initially started this, it was actually built on a big misunderstanding — there wasn’t a business plan or brand name in place. We didn’t have B2B accounts at all. It really all started at regular soccer practice at our home field, The San Diego Sports Arena. When we’d win games, I’d always take out our family batch tequila filled in a small water bottle for celebratory shots. It wasn’t branded or labeled either. This tequila was simply the private family batch my dad allowed me to share with the wider soccer team.
Eventually, my buddies on the soccer team kept asking to buy bottles for parties, etc. For so long, it was the same answer — “No, we don’t bottle.” But then the holiday season rolled around, and I had this idea to import a hundred bottles for the team, just for fun, and split the cost amongst all of us. I kept a running list of who wanted the tequila, how many bottles, etc.
One evening after practice, I was carpooling home with my now business partner Phil and we stopped for a quick beer. Eventually during our conversation, I asked him if he wanted “in” on claiming a few of these imported bottles. He shockingly raised a brow and asked if this was THE family batch. Our dialogue went something like this:
“So your family is going to give you the family batch to import and bottle? Will they make it exclusive for you?” Phil asked.
“Yes, of course! I’m part of the family and that’s how we roll! Now, how many bottles do you want?” I replied.
“No, you’re not understanding what I’m saying — if you have your family’s blessing and they’re allowing you to bottle the recipe, I want in on this whole project. Let’s partner up!” Phil responded.
I was astonished to hear that Phil wanted to take this beyond my hundred bottle idea. He wanted to do a big run and go for it. At that point, I was still unsure, but we kept the conversation going and the wheels spinning. We eventually figured we could start selling to local businesses and restaurants to see how it went, and if it flopped, we’d have plenty to drink for the rest of our lives!
Q: At what point did you know CaliFino was turning into a legitimate business?
A: Honestly, it took me over a year to realize, wow, we have a REAL brand. It organically evolved into something wonderful without planning it at all. Once I started seeing CaliFino in local stores, bars, liquor stores, and friends were texting me about drinking our tequila, it started to set in big time.
We’ve also never wanted to partner with a larger company to take the keys and drive our car. CaliFino is still our baby and we will always grow it our own way. Sure, some of our decision-making is considered “unorthodox” in the business world, but it’s our way and we’re passionate about it. For example, in the early stages, we met with a larger distributor in Tennessee — still trying to figure out if that was the right play. I recall sitting down in the conference room with Phil and a larger group. As we started talking, we whipped out our tequila and poured shots around the table, as we usually do. But the group looked puzzled, as if they’ve never seen any other company pitch like this before. The head guy who runs the company was sitting there and I could tell he really enjoyed our tequila and even asked to taste more. He later turned to us and mentioned he was so relieved by our conversation and “easy going” approach. It wasn’t the same cookie cutter presentation he’s seen a hundred times, which was new and refreshing.
Q: Can you hint to any special projects or surprises we can expect in 2022?
A: We have a few exciting projects in the works. We already announced that we’re building the CaliFino Arena in Oceanside, definitely taking us back to our soccer roots. That’ll be home to the San Diego Sockers. We’re talking about bringing in other sports and concerts too. It’ll be a huge, 8,000 ft. indoor and outdoor venue.
We also just announced our partnership with The Big Josh Foundation, which is a terrific non-profit organization. They help ease the financial burden for those who are terminally ill — this includes paying bills, buying food, supporting family, etc. So we’ve partnered up with this foundation and launched a new brand for them called Finito — CaliFino’s baby cousin. For every bottle we sell, we’re giving proceeds back to the foundation.
Lastly, we’re also working on a secret project in Mexico, so stay tuned for more info!
Q: Any last words you’d like to add?
A: Our team here at CaliFino is extremely passionate about our brand. It’s built around one thing only, and that’s family. Everyone who comes in contact with us is treated like family. That’s something that was passed down to me from my grandparents. Mi casa, su casa. Cheers to The Fino Life!