Tequila entrepreneur and innovator celebrates year of growth

Tequila 1349 founder and CEO Lizzy Lopez, an innovator in an increasingly competitive industry, has a lot to celebrate as 2024 draws to a close.

She is marking the the one-year anniversary of the successful debut of her Reposado expression, which joined the award-winning Blanco tequila that launched her company in May 2023. At the same time, she is preparing to introduce the next profile in line, a highly anticipated Añejo that was aged as a barrel blend in American and French oak and is currently finishing in Cognac casks in Mexico. The limited Añejo distribution will launch in Illinois this spring.

Over the past year, the woman-owned, Chicago-based Tequila 1349 has seen steadily climbing sales and the addition of many new outlets that carry the brand. Thirty-two Binny’s Beverage Depot locations throughout Illinois, Burnham Liquors, Moreno’s Liquors and many Chicago-area bars and restaurants sell the popular small-batch, additive-free tequila. 1349 also ships in select states through its online shop, with new markets added each year.

Lopez, a Chicago entrepreneur who is a third-generation agave farmer with deep roots in Mexico, says she is pleased that consumers have embraced her premium Blanco and Reposado, and she looks forward to introducing the “very special” Añejo.

“Our medium-finish, agave-forward Blanco and our smooth, buttery and earthy Reposado are crafted using methods rooted in long-standing tequila traditions, along with innovation that stands out in the industry. My partnership with the brothers at Aceves Spirits, known for their expertise in master distilling, has resulted in a distinct profile that has exceptional taste,” Lopez says. “Now, with the upcoming Añejo, I have taken my passion for tequila making to a whole new level.”

The 1349 Añejo profile spent a year aging in barrels, before resting in Cognac casks that were hand selected and purchased exclusively for Tequila 1349. “Designed to be sipped, the Añejo has rich hues and a complexity of flavors resulting from the introduction of different woods – that is what gives this profile its well rounded and robust characteristics that will certainly be celebrated,” according to Lopez.

Lopez says her next goal is to complete the coursework and obtain the certifications to become a Master Distiller. She is already an innovator in the industry, focusing on supporting local farmers and sustainability in farming, including the conservation of endangered plant species and seedlings.

Tequila 1349 is made from 100% blue weber agave that Lopez grows on her own land in Arandas, Jalisco – in the world-famous Golden Triangle highlands of Mexico. She broke into the competitive, male-dominated tequila scene in May 2023, with the debut of her Blanco, which was followed by the Reposado last Christmas.

The inspiration for Tequila 1349 began in 2016 when Lopez was gifted an acre of rich red clay fields on her family land. Joining her father as an agave farmer, she planted what she could at the time using her own money – which amounted to 1,349 plants, inspiring the name behind the brand. Lopez initially did this as an investment. But in 2020, with the spirits industry in the midst of a challenging year, she came up with a business plan, secured funding and had the opportunity to partner with the team of third-generation master distillers at Aceves Spirits to begin creating a tequila profile and bringing it to life. Since then, with the help of her father, who has nearly three decades of experience, Lopez has expanded her farming significantly, each year adding thousands of agave plants of her own in the sun-soaked fields of Arandas.

Lopez left her nonprofit career in Chicago and is now overseeing the Tequila 1349 business, splitting her time between Chicago and Mexico. She says she wants to be hands-on and ensure growing methods are “ecologically friendly, as well as supportive of the local community.” At the same time, she has remained active with causes in the Chicago area, serving on the board of nonprofit Simply from the Heart, as an ambassador for Latin Digital Leader Now and as a Costume Council member for the Chicago History Museum.

Lopez was born in Chicago but spent a lot of her youth in her family’s community of Arandas, where she watched her grandfather and father acquire land and farm agave. She says this gave her an appreciation for the hard work, tradition and craftmanship that go into the tequila-making process – from long days of labor in the fields to the delicate distillation process.

“I’m proud to have the opportunity to build on my family’s legacy and make an impact in an industry normally reserved for fathers and sons,” she says.