Heart & Soul

Award-winning Anteel Tequila embodies the finest qualities

By Debbie Hall Photos courtesy of Anteel Tequila

The PR%F Award-winning Anteel Tequila embodies the passion, heart, love, and taste of founders Nayana and Don Ferguson. The tequila is named after the Antillean Crested Hummingbird to pay homage to the bird that is part of its history. This multiple award-winning tequila brand is the first black woman-owned/co-own/lead tequila brand. Their first submission in the 2022 PR%F Awards brought four awards, including:

Anteel Coconut Lime (Masked Gold)

Anteel Coconut Lime (Unmasked Bronze)

Anteel Reposado (Masked Gold)

Anteel Reposado (Unmasked Gold)

All four tequila expressions are entered into the 2023 PR%F Awards competition.

“It was awesome when we won. In fact, I was interviewed and included in the first issue of PR%F the Magazine with Aisha Tyler on the cover,” says Nayana. “I consider this an award that sets the standards in the industry, so I was elated.”

The development of Anteel Tequila started as a love story. In 2016, a loving gesture by Nayana would change their lives forever as they created a legacy.

That year, Nayana would surprise her thenboyfriend Don with a birthday trip to the Dominican Republic. Even though Don did not know the destination until they arrived at the airport, he had a surprise of his own. On the beach, with the waves crashing in the background and the sun slightly peeking through the cloudy skies, Don asked Nayana to marry him on bended knee in the damp sand. Nayana said yes, and the celebration of a birthday and engagement continued for the next three days.

They drank premium tequila while talking about their upcoming wedding, what they always wanted to do in life, and the growth of their relationship. At dinner one night, they noticed birds hovering, which they discovered were Antillean Crested Hummingbirds.

This was the very first time that we started talking about tequila and what our future would look like,” says Nayana. Don is very passionate about tequila and is an enthusiast. He studied the spirit, history, folklore, and traditions that are part of this incredible agave spirit. The vacation would end on a high note, but the thought of creating a world-class, award-winning tequila was put on hold for about a year.

Both returned to the corporate world, with Nayana continuing her career as a financial analyst and Don working as a Vice President of Operations for one of the largest mortgage companies in the United States.

“Even though we were both executives in senior management positions, we kept getting moved around. Also, my position was being outsourced. We revisited what we wanted for our future. I asked Don if money was not a consideration, ‘if there was anything in life that you could do, what would you do, and he answered that he would own a tequila brand, but ‘there’s no way we can do that.’ I answered him, ‘Why not?’ and two days later, I found the distillery we work with today.”

The brand began with samples sent; Don was skeptical, thinking the tequila base would not taste good. Of course, they held a sampletasting party with their friends, and everyone loved the tequila. They decided to pursue their dream.

Nayana used her expertise as a financial analyst to create the budget for a small batch for proof of concept and created the business foundation to start their tequila company.

“My husband said that if the tequila business doesn’t work, we would just have a lot of tequila to drink for the rest of our lives,” she laughs.

The tequila was a hit, and in August 2018, the brand launched the world’s only Coconut Lime Blanco tequila and a Reposado, aged eight months in Tennessee whiskey barrels. The brand has accumulated over 92 awards since 2019, making it one of the most awarded emerging tequila brands, which is a great beginning for Anteel Tequila.

However, this is more than a great-tasting smooth spirit. The brand has broken barriers as well as inspire those who know its back story.

As Don was doing the marketing for the brand in early 2019, he started wondering if there were any other Black women in the tequila space. He reached out to other tequila aficionados with over 30 years of experience in the industry and they were unable to find any other Black women in the tequila space. In March 2020, Forbes Magazine wrote and published an article about Nayana being the first Black woman to own or lead a tequila brand. Her inspiration and motivation became more profound as a 17-year pancreatic cancer survivor and an 11-year breast cancer survivor. “I was admitted to the hospital in 2005 with a fever of 106 degrees. After numerous medical tests, the doctors never said cancer at that time; they called it a mass. Since they found the mass early, she was able to have a Whipple procedure, in which her gall bladder, the head of her pancreas, 25 percent of her stomach, and a portion of her small intestine were removed.

After an extended hospital stay and radiation treatment, no more medical episodes with her pancreas have occurred. However, because of pancreatic cancer, she has a blood disorder called neutropenia.

A challenge was presented again in 2012, as Nayana was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with a lumpectomy. “I would perform a self-breast examination, and I found a lump. I dismissed it initially, but I went to my doctor when it grew and started to hurt.”

After mammography and biopsy, the tumor was treated, but there is a 65 percent chance of cancer returning. Nayana is very diligent about her health care and has remained healthy. She is also a national advocate for Pancreatic Cancer Network since, in Black and brown communities, there are not many resources or information regarding pancreatic cancer.

As for the first time Nayana tried tequila, she was young and tasted a tequila that was not a premium brand and did not like it. Tequila has become very personal to her since it is a spirit that she can drink neat without too many side effects, as long as it is a premium tequila. Tequila is a spirit that is made from the agave plant, so it is naturally gluten-free and low in carbs, sugar, and calories. The brand wants to educate those who only remember tequila shots from their younger days or think of margaritas.

Their website states, “It’s a magical spirit that is based on traditions that have been passed down over the years that still stays true to its roots beginning with the Blue Weber Agave plant. The fact that it takes a minimum of six to seven years for the agave plant to mature before you can even begin the tequila-making process is an incredible example that great things take time and cannot be rushed.” The brand is developing its Anejo expression to complete its traditional line, which will be available in the fall.

For more info, visit www.anteeltequila. com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @anteeltequilas and YouTube @anteeltequila.

An exceptionally smooth Blanco tequila infused with natural flavors from the meat of the coconut and lime. No artificial flavors or sugars are added, and it is made with 100 percent Blue Weber Agave in Jalisco, Mexico. Anteel Coconut Lime Blanco is the only expression of its kind in the world and has won over 28 awards since 2019.

An extremely smooth Blanco tequila infused with natural flavors from Tarocco Blood Oranges grown in Sicily, Italy. No artificial flavors or sugars are added, and it is made with 100 percent Blue Weber Agave in Jalisco, Mexico. Anteel Blood Orange Blanco is a limited-edition expression released twice a year and available online and in select stores in Michigan, Georgia, California, Florida, Oklahoma, and New York.

Anteel Blood Orange Blanco is the first of its kind and has won over 12 awards since its launch in 2021.

This tequila is aged eight months in charred Tennessee whiskey barrels producing sweet agave with slight caramel and vanilla tones and a very smooth, subtle whiskey finish. No artificial flavors or sugars are added, and it is made with 100 percent Blue Weber Agave in Jalisco, Mexico. Anteel Reposado has won over 26 awards since 2019.

This is a clean, classic Blanco Tequila with sweet agave and subtle floral tones and is one of the smoothest Blanco Tequilas in the world. No artificial flavors or sugars are added, and it is made with 100 percent Blue Weber Agave in Jalisco, Mexico. Anteel Blanco has won over 21 awards since 2019.