Jun 22

Jun 22 #doitbetterbrand Interview with 21 Seeds Founder Kat Hantas

Let me tell you a little story about my favorite new tequila by 21Seeds. After having our favorite happy hour, Greg and I decided to keep the party going so I went to our local liquor store around the corner. As I scanned the shelves I saw the beautiful branding and was sold by the cucumber and jalapeño infused description. Not to mention that the price was on point. The next day we were still thinking about the refreshing, yet spicy flavor and Greg looked up 21Seeds and I was blown away at how much they are a #doitbetterbrand! I immediately reached out and asked for an interview so I could share their wonderful story with you! Enjoy the interview below!

A tequila that you can sip like wine...GENIUS! How did you come up with this idea?

About nine years ago, I started experiencing night sweats and general health issues, so I went to my doctor. He suggested we take a look at my diet, which included a couple of glasses of wine each night. He smiled like the cat that swallowed the canary and proceeded to explain that as we get older, our bodies have more difficulty metabolizing fermented spirits, and proposed a switch to distilled spirits (thank goodness he didn’t ask me to stop drinking entirely!). He suggested I switch to Blanco tequila since it's plant-based, gluten-free, and one of the cleanest spirits and sent me home. As soon as I stopped drinking wine, I felt 100% better, but I wasn’t sure what to do with this harsh Blanco tequila to make it light and easy to drink every night like my wine. I like to cook so I thought heck I’ll infuse it and see what happens. It completely changed it for the better, from how it smelled, to what it tasted like: smooth, not sweet, and refreshing…not the usual adjectives that come to mind when you think about tequila.

As the years rolled by, I noticed a lot of my girlfriends were also moving over to tequila specifically from wine and champagne because they too wanted to drink cleaner and have fewer carbs and lower sugar. They began asking me to make bottles of my infused Blanco for their home use. One bottle turned into many over the years and finally, I thought perhaps there was a business in this. Enter Nicole and Sarika, my two co-founders.

Why was partnering with a female-run distillery important to you? Was it hard to find?

The truth is we originally chose the distillery based on the exceptional quality of the Tequila. We asked for samples from many distilleries. We were in search of the smoothest possible Tequila and Celia’s was it. What also made that partnership even more rewarding, is that it is woman-owned, and many women work in the distillery. She was very pro hiring female employees, so much so that she purposely set their hours to coincide with their children’s school schedules so that they could work during school hours since they could not afford extra childcare. Celia has been an incredible partner for us throughout and has turned into a real mentor for us, educating us on the industry as a whole as well as a good friend. We could not have done this with any other partner, we truly believe that.

What are the core health/quality values of 21Seeds?

21Seeds is an all-natural real fruit infused tequila that allows you to make easy low-calorie cocktails with absolutely no sacrifice on taste. Unlike most “flavored” spirits in the industry, 21Seeds is actually infused with real fruit and botanicals, so there’s a hint of flavor without being sugary, that’s what makes all the difference. It’s clean - low sugar, low ABV, low calorie (59 calories and 1 g of sugar and 1 carb per oz!) non GMO, gluten free and keto- friendly - and we have a 2 step-chill filtration of up to -30 degrees to filter out the aldehydes headache causers. We are dedicated to the quality of our product on every level!

As a true people-person myself, I love the mission behind 21Seeds which is to bring friends together. How did this become a throughline of your story?

Drinking 21Seeds is all about the experience — and sharing that experience! It represents girl time! Hanging with your besties, sipping on something delicious and refreshing! Fun and friendship. That awesome girls weekend, that cozy girls night in, a girls night out, that relax and unwind moment for yourself when you grab a 21Seeds spritz and call your best friend for a juicy conversation. That’s why I didn’t start 21Seeds alone, I created it with my sister, Nicole and best friend Sarika. It’s knowing that when you pop open that bottle there’s good times ahead. That’s what we want to give from our girl squad to yours, to share the 21Seeds experience with you and your Squad!

What does “Girls Call the Shots” mean to you? How do you call the shots?

I love the cheekiness of girls call the shots! That’s who we created our tequila for, women who wear many hats and have lots of titles, the moms (like me!) who have many shifts during the day who keep the train rolling!

#girlscalltheshots is ultimately our loyal 80% female customer.We like to say that we have created a product for Her, by Her and the men who support Her!

She is our core consumer. We believe our authentic origin story, and what our brand stands for, has resonated with Her because we know Her well and we can speak to Her unlike any other tequila brand on the market. She wants it smooth, but not sweet. She wants quality, all-natural ingredients. She wants a product that is easy to use and versatile. Most importantly, it’s not just about the liquid in the bottle, but what opening a bottle of 21Seeds represents. It’s about the experience ahead that she will have with her girlfriends - celebrating a girl’s night in, a girl’s night out, a girl’s trip or even celebrating with herself with an easy 21Seeds Spritz at the end of a long day. That’s the piece that really sets us apart and that truly makes us a brand and why we’re dedicated to #GirlsCallTheShots

What’s your favorite 21Seeds Cocktail?

Our signature Seed and soda is what I drink every night. It's a perfect way for me to transition from my first shift as a CEO to my second shift as a mom.