We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Bernauer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

So in the alcohol industry, the majority of brands are owned by multi-million or even billion dollar corporations that have endless capital to perform extensive marketing research, funding for huge product launches, national PR, and so on.

For me, this all started with just a dream and a vision I had, and it is still a solely owned/self funded brand. With that said, I didn’t have the capital to spend on all the research, branding design, and all the things these large corporations heavily invest in.

El Viaje Raicilla started with me writing out a business plan in my notebook at home, calling any brand owners that would be kind enough to share advice, and then because I couldn’t afford an artist to make the design, I literally painted the artwork for the brand on a canvas which was a design I sketched with symbology and meaning to me, and I had that transferred to the label, marketing materials, etc.

The name “El Viaje” which means the journey, was something that I came up with relating to my life at the time – so everything that defines my brand was how I felt creatively, not having a clue how it would be received. I just had to go with my heart and what I felt I wanted it to be, without any knowledge or comparisons to what other brands were doing – and I wanted it to be a work of art different from other brands.

I’ve now learned that some of the most impactful brands, started the same way because they disregarded all the traditional research, and created something unique and different that people connected to. I’ve continued to maintain that approach, and by following such a non-typical path it has helped me stand out in a such a saturated market space.

The other differentiating factor with El Viaje, is that of course a brand must be profitable to succeed, but my focus is just as much on my producers being compensated correctly in Mexico, to show the world their history, and the amazing talents they have making artisan spirits by hand, without all the massive commercial equipment most major distilleries use that takes the artistry out of the process, and replaces the people with technology.

The purpose of my brand is to make sure the Raicilleros in Mexico that create this spirit, receive the credit they deserve, over the priority of just trying to make money – I believe in treating people with the respect and admiration they are due, and many times in business people put profit over ethics and morals which I refuse to compromise on.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into the spirits industry through my day job as an engineer/consultant that used to work with a lot of distilleries in the US. I was very familiar with how spirits are made and distilled, along with the overall business structures of these large brands.

I discovered these lesser known agave spirits from Mexico around 2018, and realized they were unlike any of the spirits being produced here in the states. Mainly because many of the artisan spirits from Mexico such as Raicillas, Sotols, Bacanoras, etc. are still very unknown, and many are produced by small family owned producers that have been making these spirits for generations on a small/local level maintaining the history of their region, and the agave spirits that grow there which their families have distilled for hundreds of years.

I was beyond impressed that they were producing such beautiful and complex spirits, with minimal distillation equipment and certainly not the massive commercial equipment with expensive technology that takes much of the artistry out of the process.

They are truly artists, applying incredible amounts of labor not just in harvesting the agaves, but also cooking the agaves in ovens with firewood, and using these artisan methods vs. commercial distilleries using automated systems with everything controlled by technology – they are doing this by hand, with natural ingredients, identifying when the agave fermentation is complete by smell and taste, using knowledge that has been passed down by generations, which is completely different than the mass produced/commercially driven high volume alcohol products that are so common nowadays.

I can’t say what I’m most proud of, as I’ve still got so many goals I feel I still need to accomplish, but just the opportunity to know I’m educating people on the artisan spirits of Mexico that they have never heard of or tasted, and to be able to create a brand that I could also incorporate my vision with the branding and be able to artistically tie myself with it – that is very special to me, and it gives me incredible fulfillment to know I have the opportunity to be a part of something like this.

I believe the future of introducing not just the USA, but the world to the artisan agave spirits of Mexico beyond Tequila is just beginning, and I’m honored and excited to be a part of that process.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As far as resilience and dealing with rejection, I probably have too many stories to list ha ha.

But honestly, I’ve experienced everything from people literally telling me I’ll never have the money/capital it takes in this space to succeed. I’ve had people say I was crazy for launching a spirit that’s more or less unknown in the US. I’ve been turned down by numerous companies who didn’t want to take a chance on distributing my product because they were looking for brands that sell thousands of bottles per month, not a boutique artisan spirit like El Viaje – and that’s just a few off the top of my head.

I don’t know of anyone who’s made a difference in this world that hasn’t received rejection, challenges, or people doubting them, so I accept it as part of the process.

I also tell people if you have something that’s truly special and you’re passionate about it, always remember the small victories and positive feedback you receive, and that will continue to compound and grow if you can have the strength to overcome the negativity and not give up.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I don’t know if one story sticks out, but the main method of growing my brand is that I literally take it with me everywhere I travel, and I’m always ready to strike up a conversation with people in cocktail bars, restaurants, stores, etc. Any opportunity I get, I’m always excited to explain to people what El Viaje Raicilla is.

Many times in cocktail bars, I’ll walk in with my backpack and if they’re not busy they might try a tasting, or even mix a cocktail with it which normally results in a great conversation – and often leads to them picking up my product and carrying it in their establishment after that interaction.

The main message I would say is that if you are creating a brand and you truly want it to be successful – you have to love and believe in your product, and you should always take it with you (either the actual product or just information) and be ready to talk about it.

I’ve had so many success stories by meeting complete strangers and just talking to them. People love to learn about something new, and they can sense if you are passionate – so I believe the best marketing strategy, when you’re a small brand like me and have to do everything yourself, is to always be ready to share your enthusiasm with others and you’d be surprised how many opportunities blossom from those moments.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.elviajespirits.com
• Instagram: @drinkelviaje