A New Brand Is Trying to Get Its Crowd-Sourced Tequila Off the Ground, but Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Apparently Standing in its Way

Tequila de la Gente, the “World’s First Crowd-Sourced Tequila”, wants to democratize the process behind picking a brand’s next best spirit.

Their model allows everyday enthusiasts to vote on one of several specially chosen añejo tequilas, the winner of which will eventually be crowned as the brand’s official release. 

Tequila de la Gente’s four founders come from wildly different backgrounds, running the gamut from a computer scientist, the owner of a construction company, a mechanical engineer, and an experienced businessman with experience in the alcohol industry. 

Even with all this expertise, it’s been an uphill battle. One defined by the difficulties that smaller brands face when they enter an industry run by the big players. 

When Tequila de la Gente brought its name to the Tequila Regulatory Council for certification, its founders claim they ran into a rock. Not just any rock, but “The Rock” – Dwayne Johnson himself. 

We sat down with co-founder Daniel Vasquez to hear the whole story. 

“Dwayne Johnson is actually holding our name hostage. He won’t let us launch with it.” 

The Beginnings of Tequila de la Gente

The idea was first conceived by four friends in Texas who wanted to create something authentic. 

“We’re all Mexican-American, and one of our founders was born in Mexico. Ultimately, it was a desire to create something new. To create a true sipping tequila,” said Vasquez. 

Fed up with the oversaturation of celebrity-backed brands that have blitzed the market without “doing justice to the spirit itself or its heritage,” Vasquez and his co-founders started looking for true stand-out distilleries. 

Once they found one, they were flooded with countless samples. And they had to start making some decisions. 

“We built our own internal rating system. I’m an engineer by trade – color coding, formulas, everything. Any time I get to make a spreadsheet I get giddy about it,” Vasquez told us. 

They started bringing friends, families and neighbors into the fold, hosting tasting parties to try out these samples and hone in on the perfect expression using their newly crafted rating system as a guide. 

After a time, they realized that this process could be expanded to a larger audience. 

In the oftentimes snooty world of tequila tastings, they saw an opportunity to open the doors of the brand’s decision to everyday consumers, enabled by a voting system that could uplift what enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike actually want to taste in a tequila. 

Stuck Between ‘The Rock’ and a Hard Place

Their model is straightforward. Users receive a box in the mail containing four distinct añejos, 200ml each. 

“We have one preferred by bourbon sippers, another preferred by rum sippers. Even a harsher one for the gin and vodka sippers,” said Vasquez.

They’ve even included both additive and additive-free tequilas, hoping that drinker’s true preferences can be revealed through the blind taste test. Users then vote online along the criteria of smell, taste, smoothness and drinkability.

All seemed well.

However, when Tequila de la Gente brought their brand to Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council, they were met with a hard “no” on their name.

“We ran into ‘The Rock’,” said Vasquez.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launched his now-iconic Teremana Tequila back in 2020. Since then, he’s managed to build it into an international titan with a whopping $3.5 Billion estimated market valuation. 

But before he decided on Teremena, Johnson allegedly trademarked numerous other potential brand names that he’s now sitting on, among them, Tequila de la Gente, which translates to “Tequila of the People” in English. 

Vasquez’s team said that when Johnson’s lawyers reached out, they were left dumbfounded. Vasquez says that all they could think was, “but what are you doing with it?”

They had already printed packaging, launched their socials and designed a website. If it weren’t for this hurdle, Vazquez says that they would have launched their product over a year and a half ago. 

Vasquez even sent us this colorful rendition depicting Tequila de la Gente’s alleged ongoing struggle with Johnson’s team. You can spot the brand’s new abbreviated packaging, “TDLG”, on the right. 

The brand’s re-designed blue sample boxes are now stamped with the tagline “Not Another Celebrity Tequila.” For Vasquez and his team, the slogan has taken on a new meaning.

Tequila de la Gente, Moving Forward

After over a year of back and forth, Tequila de la Gente is finally poised to launch its sample boxes this holiday season. 

Throughout 2023 consumers will be able to vote on their favorite añejo. The winner will eventually be crowned as Tequila de la Gente’s first full-bottled release come late 2023.

“During that process, we hope to launch other kits for a blanco and a reposado, and hopefully we’ll have gathered info about what the people want. We can incorporate that feedback, and do whatever it takes to deliver people’s tastes in the next selection,” said Vasquez. 

Down the line, the brand envisions the possibility of a mezcal sample kit, from which drinkers could blind taste different agave varietals and decide their favorites. Vasquez says that the possibilities are endless. 

“I hope we are known for creating what people what. Most of all, for creating this new model in the spirits industry.”

You can check out Tequila de la Gente’s website if you’re interested in signing up for the 2023 sample kit.

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