Inspiro Tequila was named the winner of Sprout Beverage‘s Fall 2023 Pitch Day. Inspiro will receive a $100,000 investment in capital and services, according to a news release.
Pitch Day serves as the culmination of the 3-month-long accelerator, where founders compete for the chance at an investment in a room packed with industry insiders and CPG investors. Judges pick the winner based on the brand’s understanding of their target consumer and market, growth plan, and early traction, the news release states. This year’s judges included investors from leading CPG investment firms InvestBev, Cleveland Avenue, and Okeanos.
Pitch Day runner up was Wheyward Spirit, which received $50,000 in resources and services.
Reimagining the Tequila Experience
Pitch Day winner, Mara Smith, founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila, is a former attorney turned stay-at-home mom who was compelled to create a clean, additive-free tequila that she and her friends would want to drink, according to the brand website. After meticulously studying the industry and testing different tequilas, she reached out to Ana María Romero Mena, one of the most respected master distillers in the tequila industry in Mexico. Together, Smith and Mena created what they thought was a refined and unique spirit.
“I applied to the Sprout Accelerator to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible,” said Smith in the news release. “As a founder in the beverage alcohol space, there are a plethora of topics to understand, from brand positioning to distributor relations to staffing to financial planning. I not only received incredible guidance from industry experts, but I also made lasting connections with the peers in my cohort. I graduated from the accelerator with an amazing toolbox of resources to help me scale Inspiro Tequila to the next level.”
