Diageo acquires female-owned flavoured Tequila brand 21Seeds

Diageo has announced the acquisition of super-premium flavoured Tequila brand 21 Seeds.

The brand was founded in 2019 by entrepreneurs Kat Hantas, Nicole Emanuel, and Sarika Singh, who will continue to actively work on 21Seeds in collaboration with the Diageo North America team.

The flavoured Tequila line has an abv of 35% and is available in three expressions, Valencia Orange, Grapefruit Hibiscus, and Cucumber Jalapeño.

“We created 21Seeds because, quite simply, it’s what we wanted to drink - something casual that made drinking tequila cocktails as approachable as a glass of wine or beer,” said co-founder Hantas.

“It’s been a thrill to watch consumers embrace our brand, and we are excited about the future for 21Seeds with Diageo’s resources and capabilities behind it.”

According to the IWSR, the Tequila category grew in the US in 2019-2020 by 16%, three times as fast as total spirits growth.

Flavoured tequila grew by 20% in the same period, with super-premium flavoured Tequila growing by 65%.

“21Seeds is one of the fastest-growing brands in the increasingly popular flavoured tequila segment and we are delighted to welcome it into our tequila portfolio,” said Debra Crew, Diageo’s president for North America.

“This acquisition is in line with our strategy to acquire high growth brands in fast-growing categories. It is particularly special to me given Diageo’s longstanding commitment to champion inclusion and diversity, and we look forward to working with this dynamic trio of female entrepreneurs to continue growing 21Seeds.”