Michelle Ivey, Founder of Eleven C & Co. and former Chief Operating Officer of Ilegal Mezcal, delivers an inspiring masterclass at Bar Convent Brooklyn on building a purpose-driven spirits brand that scales. Michelle, who served as the point person guiding Ilegal Mezcal through its major exit to Bacardi in 2023, breaks down why authentic community advocacy will always outperform short-term viral marketing.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Michelle Ivey’s Presentation Transcript
Hi everyone, I’m Michelle Ivey. I have an agency based in Greenpoint called 11C & Co., which has been operating since 2014. Formerly, I was the Chief Operating Officer of Ilegal Mezcal. I was part of the founding leadership team that built that brand and served as the point person who led us through our acquisition by Bacardi in 2023, staying on for an additional year to manage the corporate integration.
Why do some spirits brands become cultural movements while others remain short-lived trends?
Trend-driven brands focus heavily on short-term virality, surface-level reach, and rapid initial growth. Enduring brands, by contrast, are built on foundational trust, personal identity, shared values, and community. Community is the single most critical component in giving a brand lasting purpose.
The Story of Ilegal Mezcal: Community as a Growth Engine
With Ilegal Mezcal, we cultivated a dedicated community before we even had a physical commercial product. The brand originated out of a famous bar in Antigua, Guatemala, called Cafe No Sé.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE ILEGAL MEZCAL BRAND ENGINE │
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│ 1. COMMUNITY FIRST ➔ Built baseline advocacy at Cafe No Sé. │
│ 2. EARNED ADVOCACY ➔ Relied on word-of-mouth and trade trust over ads. │
│ 3. BARTENDER TRUST ➔ Treated bartenders as original cultural influencers. │
│ 4. ACTION OVER ADS ➔ Lived brand values long before marketing them. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The brand spread organically through trade advocacy and word-of-mouth rather than traditional media advertising. Bartenders were the original influencers long before digital influencer marketing existed. When a trusted bartender recommends a spirit to a guest across the bar, the consumer takes that recommendation seriously. Hospitality professionals hold immense, authentic credibility.
Action Before Messaging
Purpose should never be a marketing campaign—purpose is how your business operates when no one is watching. While “purpose marketing” has become a popular corporate buzzword, Ilegal built a value system that evolved directly alongside our core community.
Sales and marketing teams frequently talk about going “narrow and deep.” Your community engagement strategy must follow that same discipline.
An example of this was our “Love Your Neighbor” campaign:
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The Backstory: During industry downtime in January, I spent three weeks at the U.S. border doing hands-on humanitarian work with Team Brownsville.
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The Execution: The following year, we launched the “Love Your Neighbor” initiative. We brought our entire corporate team alongside bartenders to the border for a week of active humanitarian work.
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The Strategic Choice: We deliberately chose not to film content, create ad campaigns, or blast it across media channels.
Living your values authentically before advertising them is critical. Modern consumers easily spot when a brand’s actions fail to match its marketing claims.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TREND BRANDS vs. ENDURING MOVEMENTS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • TREND BRANDS: Focus on short-term virality and momentary awareness. │
│ • ENDURING MOVEMENTS: Focus on trust, consistency, and long-term advocacy. │
│ • CORE PRINCIPLE: Virality lasts two weeks; purpose compounds indefinitely. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Three Core Principles for Purpose-Driven Brands
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Community Before Product: Know precisely who you serve and who you are surrounding yourself with before scaling a product.
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Action Before Messaging: Physically live your brand’s core values before attempting to market or monetize them.
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Consistency Before Scale: Recognize that consumer trust compounds over time. Do not ask what trend or cause you should support—ask what you fundamentally believe.
To paraphrase a timeless insight: Purpose is what a brand does when nobody is watching. If you claim your brand is driven by purpose, ensure that commitment is real, or the trade and consumer will see right through it.
Thank you very much.