Most spirits brands are built to be sold. Fortaleza was built to win back a family legacy. Guillermo Erickson Sauza is the great-great-grandson of Don Cenobio Sauza, who founded one of tequila’s foundational names in 1873 and is credited as the first to export tequila to the United States. When his grandfather sold the Sauza company in the 1970s, more than a century of family ownership ended. Decades later, Guillermo, then working in aerospace and IT, went back to a small family distillery in the town of Tequila that hadn’t been part of the sale. He brought it back to life piece by piece, using the same tahona stone milling, slow fermentation, and copper pot stills his family had used generations earlier. Today Fortaleza is one of the most sought-after tequilas in the world. Bartenders, collectors, and fans hunt for it on shelves across the country.
In this conversation for Park Street University’s Hall of Fame series, Park Street CEO Harry Kohlmann sits down with Guillermo, whom he has known for almost 20 years, to trace that journey from the original Sauza legacy to Fortaleza’s rise. Guillermo explains why he refused to take shortcuts on volume. He still runs a tahona 24 hours a day, makes every bottle top by hand on site, and has kept the same wholesale price for almost twenty years. He also covers how bartenders and dive bars built the brand’s reputation long before retailers came around. Then he reflects candidly on what he would do differently, including why he would have stayed focused on one or two states longer before expanding, and on why Fortaleza remains proudly not for sale.
Park Street Imports is the back-office and importing solution for alcoholic beverage brands launching and scaling in the U.S. market.
Featured Guests:
Guillermo Erickson Sauza, General Manager, Tequila Los Abuelos
Harry Kohlmann, CEO, Park Street Companies
Mentioned in the Episode:
Want to stay in the know about new episodes from the podcast? Click the link here.
Learn More About Park Street
Sign up for our Daily Industry Newsletter.
Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletter.
Check out Park Street’s Guide to Getting Started in the U.S. Market
Follow us for more industry insights on