Hard liquor is immensely popular in America. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS) reported that supplier sales of spirits hit a record $29 billion in 2019, up 5.3% over the previous year. Volumes sold increased by 3.3% to 329 million cases. Sales revenue increases outpace volume increases because consumers increasingly purchase premium (more expensive) liquors. 

Tequila, the ideal mixer for margaritas and other mainstream cocktails, continues to grow its dominance in the U.S. spirits market. The volume of tequila sold in the United States has increased by 180% since 2002. In 2019, Americans purchased over 20 million cases of tequila. 

DISCUS reports that impressive category growth is driven in large part by super-premium tequila. High-end tequila grew from a virtually nonexistent category in the early 2000s to shipping 4.1 million cases in 2019. While Jose Cuervo is the tequila standard for many Americans, consumers are increasingly reaching for top-shelf alternatives that go down a bit more smoothly. 

In this environment of tequila premiumization, nascent spirits brands have the opportunity to capture market share with excellently-produced premium liquors that redefine consumers’ relationships. 

AsomBroso Tequila is a super-premium tequila company producing innovative spirits derived 100% from Mexican blue weber agave. AsomBroso tequila, in signature branded decanters, sells for anywhere between $80 and $1,700. 

AsomBroso’s tequilas have won a number of prestigious industry awards — including a 97 rating (the highest in the world) from Tasting Panel Magazine, multiple honors from the Robb Report, and “Top Tequila” in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

AsomBroso produces liquor at a distillery in Mexico and sells to wholesalers who partner with U.S. retailers to distribute cases. AsomBroso’s award-winning tequilas are sold in eleven U.S. states at chain stores including Costco, Total Wine & More, and BevMo!. AsomBroso reports that these retailers maintain an average 85% reorder rate. 

AsomBroso generated over $1.3 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year and produced a profit of over $200,000. 

AsomBroso was founded by Ricardo Gamarra, a creative entrepreneur with previous ventures in automotive advertising and production. Eventually, Gamarra (who is evidently a tequila lover) began the process of creating his own tequila brand. He located a distillery in Jalisco, Mexico and renovated it to produce certified, super-premium tequila. Gamarra is the chief tequila artist at AsomBroso and has developed the unique ideas that make AsomBroso stand out in prestigious tequila competitions. Gamarra also works at West Coast Craft Spirits, the California distributor for AsomBroso. AsomBroso appears to be his major project, but he is also employed by this related industry actor. 

Andrew Ulmer is AsomBroso’s President. He has 15 years of spirit brand-building experience. He works to secure distribution relationships across the United States. Ulmer’s relationships with national accounts — including Costco, BevMo!, Walgreens, and many others — have been key to AsomBroso’s growth. Ulmer is also employed by West Coast Craft Spirits alongside Gamarra. Like Gamarra, he apparently still devotes the majority of his time to AsomBroso.

AsomBroso plans to expand distribution from its existing 11 states to 26 additional states over the next 12 months, including expansions into Kroger, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions. 

The company reports that proceeds from this fundraise will be used to produce additional tequila inventory. If the maximum amount is raised, additional funds will be directed to marketing (expanding the company’s brand in the U.S.) and hiring additional staff to support growth. 

• Validation from top liquor judges: AsomBroso’s tequilas are consistently award-winning at the most prestigious tequila competitions, including the Robb Report and the San Francisco World Spirits competition. Highly discerning customers often rely on accolades like these to know that super-premium liquors are worth the price tag. AsomBroso has successfully proven its tequilas’ quality to these prospective buyers, which is key for further growth.

• Traction and profitability: AsomBroso has shared only limited financial information in accordance with  its accelerated crowdfunding listing due to COVID-19 relief regulations. However, what financial information that is available is promising. AsomBroso has generated over $1.3 million in revenue for the last two years and has also generated a profit of over $200,000 in those years. These signals indicate that the AsomBroso team has developed a business model that allows for strong sales without excessive costs. If sales continue to swell given new partnerships with retailers in more U.S. states, the company’s financials could strengthen even further.

• Reasonable valuation calculations: It is interesting to note that AsomBroso has derived its own valuation, forgoing the typical use of a third-party auditor. AsomBroso used recent tequila acquisition valuations in combination with those brands’ value-per-case-shipped to arrive at its own valuation of approximately $32 million. These calculations are transparent and reasonable given public information, so investors should feel confident that they are purchasing shares of AsomBroso at a fair price.

AsomBroso is an award-winning tequila brand well-positioned at the leading edge of the super-premium tequila market (which is growing rapidly). The company’s various accolades from top liquor judges, traction of over $1.3 million in sales, and transparent fundraising valuation are all attractive signals for prospective investors. 

As noted above, AsomBroso has not disclosed full financial information because its listing is accelerated in line with the SEC’s temporary COVID-19 relief regulations. In the limited financial information given, however, AsomBroso seems to have recorded less revenue in the most recent fiscal year ($1.3 million) than it did in the fiscal year prior ($1.6 million). This decrease is a bit mysterious. It could be explained if the most recent fiscal year includes recent months of 2020 that were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Investors should consider this anomaly and lack of information as they evaluate an investment in AsomBroso. 

Investors that do back AsomBroso have reason to hope for a lucrative exit event. In 2018, Bacardi (which already owned a minority stake) acquired Patron tequila at a $5.1 billion valuation. Top spirits companies are increasingly interested in acquiring premium brands. If AsomBroso is able to carve off even a small amount of market share from tequila leaders, they could easily position themselves as a target for purchase from a larger spirits conglomerate. 

In sum, AsomBroso is a super-premium tequila company with solid revenue traction from major retailers around the United States. While full financial information is not currently available, AsomBroso’s awards, profitability, and reasonable valuation calculations make this an attractive opportunity for investors. Therefore, AsomBroso is a Deal to Watch.