The global demand for tequila is expected to increase by more than 20% over the next five years, according to the IWSR, which now projects that the entire tequila sector will rise by as much as 30% in the US and 7% in Mexico by 2023. Tequila sales increased by 12.4% in 2019, which was the main factor driving this. The trend of premiumization has emerged in recent years as customers choose quality over quantity. Demand for goods rises as people switch to more upscale and expensive beverages. Introducing Celia Maestri, co-founder of Casa Maestri, who is leaving a legacy for her family’s business with the goal of becoming a prestigious distillery well known for its superior and award-winning tequilas.
Learn and Grow
Celia Maestri prides herself on being a direct, passionate, and meticulous individual who always maintains her modesty. She is the type of person who refuses to accept “no” and always looks for practical solutions to problems rather than creating new ones. She has learned that in order to stay grounded in the spirits industry (and more so as a woman), it is important to be true to one’s convictions, to be assertive and direct, while never losing sight of the larger goals. It is true that much of her current personality is the result of this learning and growing.
However, Celia has discovered that her mentorship is the best method for her to learn and grow. She enjoys serving as a mentor to those who seek her services, sharing her experience and encouraging her clients to believe in themselves and realize their full potential.
Celia adds, “That’s where I believe I enjoy and learn the most.”
Inspiration comes from
Celia Maestri has always believed that working toward goals requires constant preparation. She managed to run a business by watching her parents handle every aspect of their business over the years. She recalls how well they both performed in every area, from product sales to warehouse management, and she found it to be really motivating. Her main goal is to realize her dream of owning a distillery, carry on her parents’ history in the business, and provide for her family. To promote a culture of heritage, educate people about tequila drinking, and market superior Mexican tequilas in the United States, her husband Michael and wife Celia combined their years of business experience with their Mexican-American nationalities.
Above all things, they work to establish a reputation as a high-value business through the calibre of their quality product, the friendliness of their staff, and their close support of clients throughout the entire process. Celia also thinks it’s crucial to be a keen observer of what’s going on so she can take in other people’s good ideas and incorporate them into her own or the company’s work plans.
The family of Mr. Jose and Celia Villanueva moved to Cordoba, Veracruz, in 1951 from a small town called Santa Ines, Michoacán, where they founded Licores Veracruz Liquor Distillery. The Frank-Lin Distillers Ltd. was founded in San Jose, California, where the family of Mr. Frank and Lyn Maestri relocated from Hawaii in 1966.
In 2008, Mr. Michael & Mrs. Celia V. Maestri, who belong to the second generation, relocated from Houston, Texas, to Tequila, Jalisco, where they founded Destiladora del Valle de Tequila Distillery. Additionally known as “Casa Maestri,” it is regarded as one of Mexico’s best tequila producers. In the Third Generation, Mr. Michael Maestri gave his interests in Frank-Lin Distillers Ltd. to Frank and Lindley Maestri in 2008. From Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico, Mrs. Celia V. Maestri relocated to Houston, Texas, where she founded Mexcor, Inc. (a liquor importer and wholesale house). Her oldest son, Eduardo Morales, is the current owner of Mexcor, Inc.
In terms of specific services, the business provides all-encompassing assistance to clients, including assistance with concept development, trademark registration, regulatory compliance, complete product design (including bottles, caps, labels, and boxes), production management, and logistics for export. However, Casa Maestri is much more than just a distillery; it offers an experience. They produce tequilas in the conventional manner, but they go above and beyond to create tequila brands that fulfil aspirations because they believe it is essential for the brands to remain consistent.
Today, Casa Maestri MFM is taking the market all over the world for its quality and beautiful ceramic bottles that symbolize the Mexican charrería. Its distillery IT is the # 9 from 157.
Carries Out her Responsibilities
Ceila begins each day by giving thanks to God and everyone in her life for enabling her to see and anticipate the requirements of each department in the company. She enjoys overseeing everything and making sure things are completed. She feels that by encouraging and inspiring Casa Maestri members to attain their maximum potential and consider novel ideas and solutions in their roles, she also retains leadership. She is happiest at work when they need to develop a new product or when a potential consumer contacts them, since that is when she can listen to their objectives, stories, and ideas and utilize her imagination to help them develop something special and promising.
Stand Out from the Competition
As Celia and her team want to develop with their clients, they are always growing. Being a Mexican/American distillery that wants to introduce Mexican culture to Americans is one of their main distinguishing characteristics from other businesses. Dedicated to using conventional tequila production techniques, Casa Maestri is a woman-owned business. In addition to developing and manufacturing tequila brands, they also have the ability to aid in their market expansion.
Women in Positions of Leadership: Why?
Celia Maestri acknowledges, “Yes. Why? Because the dedication we women have to achieving our goals is strong, and we do the impossible to conquer our aspirations.” One quality she admires in women is their ability to focus and multitask. According to Celia, many businesses fail to recognize the potential of their female leaders, and she would advise them to rethink their attitude since it’s crucial to provide women with management opportunities and demand excellence from them. In all departments and levels of employment at Casa Maestri, women make up 95% of the staff, and Celia affirms that they are growing more and more every day.
The Issue of Originality
Celia considered the concern for originality to be among the most important. She has over 40 years of experience in the sector and has become extremely acute and unavoidably observant. She claims that while it is quite simple to spot who is copying who and why, it is actually a marketing ploy. By neglecting to believe that you are capable of accomplishing something amazing, you are damaging your confidence when you duplicate a person or company that is succeeding with their ideas.
Many people have attempted to imitate Celia’s bottles, the characteristics of her tequilas, and many of the original ideas that underpin her brands over the years, and some have even been successful. She then suggested being original. She advises being original, different, and not copying anyone else. Be the one with the capacity to produce something unique and extraordinary in order to impress customers and the market.
“Unique on your own; trust me, no one will sell your ideas and convictions better than you do.” — says Celia
Success for her
Ceila views success as achieving all of your goals and being able to pass them on to future generations. She believes that having a brilliant concept, a thriving company, a comprehensive life philosophy, or even a lot of money is useless if you can’t motivate others to strive for more and be enthusiastic about what they do. She believes that by sharing her testimony, she will be able to inspire her family to work hard and pursue their aspirations by passing on her passion for the spirits industry, which she inherited from her parents. Any additional material possessions that suggest a claim to personal success are not particularly significant to Ceila.
Advice for Leaders
Ceila mentioned that one of her greatest passions is mentoring. But if she were to give these aspiring businesspeople one bit of advice, it would be to maintain the traditions and fundamental principles you were taught while developing your own fresh concepts and implementing them in your organization. Her long-term goal for Casa Maestri is for her family to continue the history while upholding the highest standards of tequila excellence for future generations.
Written by Steve Sanchez.
