This week on Party’s Over Podcast, we welcomed Kat Hantas, CEO & Co-Founder of 21 Seeds Tequila! https://www.21seeds.com/
The girls of POP are huge tequila fans and also fans of a women owned company. We enjoyed learning all about Kat’s life and the steps she took to working in the liquor industry.
Right out of college, Kat noticed she had this entrepreneurial side to her and this longing to do something for herself. The timing didn’t work out for her first business, but that want to build something for herself came back later on. Kat worked in the entertainment industry for years.
“I was in the entertainment industry until I then left and started producing on my own, I would say the fluorescent lights are not for me. I very quickly realized that I just thrived better in an environment where I had more control over my destiny. And, you know, I know other folks, it works the other way. But for me, that's not how my brain works at all. Like I just don't see cubicles or boxes or lines. Like, if I have to write something within a box, I always go outside the lines, like I just my brain doesn't even see those things.” - Kat Hantas
During this time, Kat was a wine lover and a person who had too many tequila shots in college - we’ve all been there. We’ve all heard someone say they can’t have tequila “because of that one time…”
“I sort of evolved and at this point in my life, you know, I was a wine drinker. I loved the convenience of it, it was light, it was easy, it wasn't too heavy on calories in. When you start to get into mixed cocktails, like a traditional Margarita is 4 to 500 calories, like, that's like two chocolate bars!” - Kat Hantas
One day, wine started making her feel crappy, to the point where she wanted something different. In fact, she went to the doctor who told her it was time to switch to distilled spirits - specifically blanco tequila. At the same time, Kat was noticing a change in the market, consumers were starting to focus on the calories in their beverages. Spiked Seltzers were on the rise, but there weren't many other options.
“When I switched over to blanco, I didn't like the way it tasted - it was harsh. It didn't matter if I was buying nice blanco, it was all harsh. So, I needed to do something to it to smooth it out and make it delicious and something I could look forward to versus just drinking to drink.” - Kat Hantas
That’s when she started infusing her tequila. This changed everything for her. It was smooth, it was fresh and the flavors all were things that have been associated with tequila forever. Once infused, all you really needed to add was a little lime juice and club soda - easy as that!
After countless dinner parties & friends trying her tequila, she knew it was time to make this a business. There wasn’t anything like it on the shelves. She partnered with her sister, Nicole and a friend, Sarika to start the business.
Listen to this week’s episode to hear all about how they turned this into a business, the branding and Kat’s advice.
21 Seeds flavors are Cucumber Jalapeno, Grapefruit Hibiscus and Valencia Orange and all can be purchased online here: https://www.21seeds.com/