Origin stories are a curious thing. And none likely have a more unusual beginning than Tequila Tromba. Founder Eric Brass started the brand after studying in Mexico on an exchange and had his first experience with tequila. It was awful. “It was a terrible shot at the bar at the end of the night, and then I tried good tequila for the first time and fell in love,” says Brass.
Eric returned back to Canada and took a corporate job, but knew greater things were calling. During his sojourn in Mexico, Eric had the good fortune of going to school with the son of a master distiller from Don Julio. Marco Cedano was the master distiller for 17 years at DJ, but jumped ship to be part of Eric’s new company. “He was excited to partner with someone who wanted to bring a premium product to the market. But he had two conditions: he wanted a piece of the action, and he wanted full control of production — no gringos in the kitchen!” says Brass.
While Brass admits asking a master distiller with this sort of pedigree is akin to “asking Wayne Gretzky to play in your men’s league,” Marco has been on board since the beginning and has been a key component to Tromba’s success. Starting the company off with a backpack full of bottles and pretty light
pockets, Eric was passionate about creating tequila that was premium but not premium priced. He slugged it out, selling Tromba bottle by bottle, directly to bartenders, and building word of mouth on the product. A Canadian selling tequila door-to-door seems so farfetched it’s almost funny, and to his competitors, it was. “The big guys laughed at me, and I didn’t blame them. We had nothing, literally.”
ADVERTISEMENT |
Five years later and this tequila is no joke. Tromba is sold across North America and in Australia, and they’re poised to keep going with aggressive with his growth plans. Pricing the hooch starting at just $49.95 puts Tromba in the sweet spot for a premium brand. And that’s exactly what Eric’s vision was from the start — premium, check. Accessible? Definitely.
RELATED LINK: New Kid on the Block: Spirit of York
Have you tried Tromba? What do you think of the tequila? Let us know in the comment section or tweet us at @ViewtheVibe.
