NEW YORK, N.Y.– This Hispanic Heritage Month, the Tequila Don Julio Fund† is calling all Hispanic entrepreneurs who follow their heart and demonstrate that the best things in life are made por amor (for the love) to apply for a business grant. Eighty years ago, Don Julio González boldly approached a local businessman for a loan of 20,000 pesos to open his own distillery, where Tequila Don Julio continues to be made today. Following his heart, González spent his life perfecting his craft to create one of Mexico’s most loved tequilas. Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the brand’s late founder, and the love he poured into each bottle of tequila resulting in an exceptionally smooth liquid, the grant program was created to pay it forward and celebrate Hispanic entrepreneurs who live out their craft por amor every day.
“Don Julio González taught us that creating anything of value requires love, which is as true in life and business as it is for tequila,” says Christina Choi, Senior Vice President of Tequila, Diageo North America. “We are so proud of the businesses we supported last year with our inaugural grants and are excited to continue celebrating a new group of Hispanic entrepreneurs who are building their own legacy with their crafts that they do por amor – just as our founder did.”
The Tequila Don Julio Fund is once again partnering with the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) to encourage Hispanic entrepreneurs all across the country to apply. The initiative is also bringing together an ensemble of 10 Hispanic trailblazers to create a new Advisory Board that will help select this year’s grant recipients and empower them to build successful businesses. The newly appointed Advisory Board includes Singer-Songwriter Sofia Reyes, Fashion Designer Victor Barragán, Celebrity Photographer Carlos Eric Lopez, ALPFA Chief Financial Officer, Selene Benavides, as well as the inaugural Tequila Don Julio Fund grant recipients including Progeny Coffee Co-Founder & CEO Maria Palacio, Tia Lupita Foods Founder & CEO Hector Saldivar, Jen Contracting Group Owner & CEO Jennifer Ramos Aguilar, YAPA Artisan Empanadas Owner Polo Valdes, and MARME Founder & CEO Maria Mejia.
Hispanic entrepreneurs can apply for a chance to take their business to new heights. Up to five qualifying entrepreneurs will each be awarded the following through the Tequila Don Julio Fund and its Advisory Board:
“As an organization that champions the spirit of entrepreneurship among the Latino community, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with Tequila Don Julio to spotlight the love and devotion that many Hispanic entrepreneurs everywhere demonstrate,” says Jennifer Paulino, Director of Business Development and Partnerships at ALPFA. “We constantly witness the love, passion and dedication that become driving forces behind growing any business and are excited to see the impact our community continues to make in the country’s economy.”
Applications can be submitted now through October 15, 2022, and grant recipients will be announced in early November.
This grant program is part of the Tequila Don Julio Fund’s $1 million pledge over four (4) years to charities whose missions support the communities that have helped build the brand to what it is today.
†The Tequila Don Julio Fund is a donor advised fund with Diageo North America, Inc. as the donor and which is administered by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3) organization. Recipient business will not receive monies directly from Diageo Americas, Inc./Tequila Don Julio.
About Tequila Don Julio
Founded on the pioneering agricultural principles of Don Julio González and his personal pursuit of perfection, Tequila Don Julio revolutionized the tequila industry and set the standard for ultra-premium tequila. The original luxury tequila of choice in Mexico, Tequila Don Julio uses only the highest caliber, fully matured and ripened Blue Agave that has been hand-selected from the rich, clay soils of the Los Altos region of the state of Jalisco. The Tequila Don Julio portfolio includes Tequila Don Julio Blanco, Tequila Don Julio Reposado, Tequila Don Julio Añejo, Tequila Don Julio 70, Tequila Don Julio 1942, and the limited-edition Tequila Don Julio Primavera.
About Diageo North America
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.
About ALPFA
ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America) was the first national Latino professional association in the United States, established in Los Angeles in 1972. Throughout our 47-year history we have experienced steady growth and demonstrated consistent value. ALPFA continues to build upon its proud legacy with a mission: To empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. Over the last two years ALPFA has increased its visibility and membership value through a digital transformation that is helping inspire ambition and elevate the impact the organization and its supporters make in the community. An impact that can be seen through the funding of scholarships, educational resources provided, and the visibility for its members.
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