We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Scott, Curnelius Arnick, Roddrick West and Devin Woodson of Tequila with Friends and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Brandon, Curnelius, Roddick and Devin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Tequila with Friends originally started as a blog. Three friends that were passionate about enjoying great tequila decided to share our experience with the spirit along with interesting facts that we’ve learned over the years. We started off talking about other tequilas, the history of tequila, and how to best pair tequilas with different types of food. As we did more research and learned about the industry, our naturally explorative side kicked in and said why not create our own tequila. Why not create a brand that people can connect to as they enjoy their favorite beverage. We traveled down to Mexico in 2018 to find our manufacturing partner and we found the perfect one. We rebranded Tequila with Friends and have now launched our first of many expressions – TWF Tequila Blanco. We sought out to create a tequila so smooth that it did not need to be mixed with anything but good friends. Our business is built on friendship and we’re now providing a quality product that friends should enjoy together. We leveraged the things that make our friendship special by incorporating them into our logo and into the feel of our brand – tequila, traveling, good music, and an appreciation for our hometown.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
After getting our start in 2018, it has been a challenging but enjoyable learning experience. Having absolutely no background in the spirits industry, our team had to learn the end-to-end process of the industry and the players in it. To make sure we were well educated about our new venture, we’ve spent hundreds of hours researching international, federal, and state laws, the three-tier system, permits, trademarking, and compliance. One of the biggest lessons that we’ve learned along the way is that it really is a relationship business. As we’ve gotten our brand in front of more people, it has really helped us to have the right players vouch for what we are doing. Furthermore, as a new spirit brand, establishing credibility was imperative. We entered our TWF Tequila Blanco in the 2020 New York International Spirits Competition. We’re excited to share that our tequila took home a silver medal! We want the world to know that Tequila with Friends is more than a brand of great tequila, it’s a lifestyle. We truly believe in the power of friends. TWF is the spirit you need to create and share new experiences with friends. It’s infused with camaraderie and a spirit of exploration. It’s unique chemistry binds together people and time. TWF is the tool to create good times with great friends and memories that last a lifetime.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Our favorite spots in the city are the ones that remind us of our slogan, “Good Times, Great Friends, Memories that Last a Lifetime”. For us, these spots are where our friends at Good Culture, Baddie Brunch, and Crownholders are currently hosting events. At TWF, we are about supporting our community and showing love to those that exhibit true friendship. For those that are new to the city, I think following these crews will allow you to see parts of our beautiful city while meeting some great new people.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, we want to thank our families and friends for the support as we’ve been building this dream of ours. It has been anything but easy over the last 2 years. There have been many learning opportunities on the way to this point. Next, we want to give a major shoutout to our hometown of Dallas, TX, and the people that make this city great. Our old friends and the new ones we’ve made along the way have supported us as we’ve been introducing TWF to the metroplex. Thanks to everyone that has attended a tasting event while practicing social-distancing, shared a post, recommended TWF to a friend, or shared encouraging remarks. We want to shoutout everybody that’s finding creative ways to stay engaged with their friends in this tumultuous time. As we said, we’re a brand based on friendship that wants to inspire and invigorate friendships for others. And lastly, we want to send a special shoutout to all of the kids in Oak Cliff. We encourage you to chase your dreams. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible.
Website: www.tequilawithfriends.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tequilawithfriends/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/68126651/admin/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TequilawFriends
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=tequila%20with%20friends
Other: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJHXxY4t/ Drizly: https://drizly.com/liquor/tequila/silver-tequila/tequila-with-friends-twf-tequila-blanco/p121486 Distributed by: Favorite Brands
Image Credits
Alana Woodson, https://www.iamalanamarie.com/
