We were lucky to catch up with Alejandro Russo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alejandro, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I want to create a brand that’s decades into the future yet still rings true to Latin culture. Just as Nike is synonymous with the athletically daring, we want people to look back at Candela as an iconic Latin brand that reigns authentic in its values and culture.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the Founder of Candela Mamajuana, a nuanced take on the native tradition of Mamajuana rum from the Dominican Republic. I now live in Miami where I can easily get to and from the birthplace of Candela! I have an extensive background in entrepreneurship and have been creating brands since I was 19. This is my third entrepreneurial venture and I can attest it never gets easier. For those starting out I recommend focusing on developing thick skin and being quick to move swiftly around obstacles hurdling your way. Tenacity alongside persistence are the key. I am most proud of Candela continuing to grow day in and out and how it went from an idea sparked by an experience bar-side on vacation to a physical product in the market.

Enjoyed on ice or within inventive cocktail recipes, Candela Mamajuana boasts a smooth taste, rich rosewood and honey aromas and a long finish with warming spices. The one-of-one premium spiced rum is handcrafted in the Dominican Republic with all-natural ingredients cutting out any artificial colors or flavors. Candela is distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, then aged in Bourbon casks elevating the finished product.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

I’ve learned to understand that anything good takes time to materialize. Patience is paramount to see your business become successful. Find that sweet spot between being ambitious and disciplined. It’s very important to surround yourself with quality people who are capable of sharing this journey with you. “If you want to move fast go alone, if you want to go far, you need a team.” It can be lonely, but not if you seek out those important teammates that aid you in paving the way forward.

The biggest mistake I made early on was to focus too much on the product and less on the business. This is a super common mistake that leads you to working IN your company rather than ON your company.

Second mistake was that I focused too much on the product and not enough on the customer. Serve your customer rather than becoming too obsessed with your product.

Third mistake I made was not building a team made up of quality players earlier on. The quality of your team determines how much your business can grow.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

A couple of titles I recommend are; Chew Dog – the story of how Nike came to be, Losing my Virginity – Richard Branson’s autobiography, Principles – Ray Dalio, Zero to One – Peter Thiel. These all share stories of people, products, and companies that have become successful. There IS a playbook to making a successful business, so learn as much as you can from other companies. Study the lessons of success, failure and ways they’ve done things so wrong. Learn about what they did during scrappy months and how they thought something would stick, yet it was a flop. The road to success was paved with failure alongside trial and error and full of hustle in most of these stories. Read about the “behind the scenes” and you’ll find lots of bruises behind the first layer of skin.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drinkcandela.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/drinkcandela
• Linkedin: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/drinkcandela/

Image Credits
Photos Courtesy of Candela Mamajuana