The firm behind one of the world’s biggest tequila brands is on a mission to reinvent the category in the UK on-trade.
Patron, based in the Mexican state of Jalisco, is promoting its range for use in cocktails as well as serves such as the ‘Patronic’ – Patron tequila with tonic garnished with orange.
Last month the company also launched an online tool designed to help consumers trace the origins of particular tequila brands.
Patron was earlier this year named as the 17th most valuable spirits brand in the world with sales of $1.2 billion, but has a comparatively small footprint in Scotland and the UK.
“What’s really important for us is to elevate tequila out of this stereotyped slammer occasion,” said regional strategy and planning director, Matthew Sykes, on a recent trip to Scotland.
“With tequila you have the well-known brands, which are 51% agave and then there’s 100% agave, of which Patron is one, and they’re just completely different products.
“You have to put it in a vehicle, and one of those vehicles is with tonic. You call it Patronic, serve it with orange peel. The garnish is not lime, because we’re trying to take people away from that association that tequila has with lime.”
The Patron range includes the unaged Patron Silver, the aged Patron Anejo and Patron Reposado and tequila liqueur range Patron XO Cafe, which was recently expanded to include Patron XO Cafe Incendio.
Greg Cohen, vice president of corporate communications, told SLTN that it is “an exciting time to be in tequila”.
“I think there’s such great potential and opportunity,” said Cohen. “And we’re in this for the long haul. We really are very focused and deliberate as to where we think the brand needs to bubble up from.”
