In 2019, five rival National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners, including basketball legend Michael Jordan, joined forces to craft “the most delicious spirit” and set a “gold standard in tequila”.
Bringing their championship mindset to the spirits industry, the powerhouse team founded Cincoro Tequila.
The tequila is crafted using mature 100% Blue Weber agaves, sourced from both the highlands and lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico.
The brand celebrated its fifth anniversary this month with the launch of a limited-edition Añejo Cristalino 750ml, featuring a platinum chrome bottle. It joins the brand’s premium tequila portfolio including – Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, Gold and Extra Añejo.
With travel retail seen as an important growth market, Cincoro is welcoming new partners to help with its expansion plans. It is preparing to showcase its core collection in the upcoming TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes at the Duty Free Global stand (Green Village, J53).
In this interview with The Moodie Davitt Report, Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson Emilia Fazzalari and Managing Director – International Quentin Job reveal how this dynamic team is redefining the luxury spirits category. They also outline their travel retail strategies and how they aim to use this channel to propel their expansion.
Named after the Spanish word for ‘five’, a nod to its quintet of founders, Cincoro Tequila is a passion project of NBA team owners Jeanie Buss (Los Angeles Lakers), Wesley Edens (Milwaukee Bucks), Wycliffe ‘Wyc’ Grousbeck (Boston Celtics) with wife Emilia Fazzalari, and Michael Jordan (former owner of the Charlotte Hornets).
What started as a casual dinner date between colleagues in 2016 evolved into a shared vision to create a tequila that would raise the bar for luxury spirits.
Cincoro Tequila Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson Emilia Fazzalari said: “Something special happened that night, we bonded as friends, and it was over tequila. Michael was the tequila connoisseur in the group and taught us how to drink tequila, with one large rock and a slice of orange is how he enjoys it. He would say to us that it was about chilling and enjoying the moment with friends.
“That really fun dinner led to another one with more tequila. By the end of the second dinner, we started to talk about wanting a tequila that was different than anything else on the market. A tequila that was just delicious and that you would enjoy sipping neat or on the rocks.”
Inspired by a growing niche for high-quality tequila, the brand sought to create a product that could stand alongside luxury spirits.
Fazzalari continued: “We realised there was an opportunity in the market to create a new style of tequila, a rich and delicious tequila, one that sipped like a luxury spirit, akin to a fine Cognac or Bourbon. We were looking to create a modern tequila that offers a complex and exceptional taste profile with a beautifully long finish. I would say the evolution of tequila. ”
Each partner plays a key role in steering the brand’s direction, bringing their own insights and expertise to the table. Their input extends to innovation, design and the formulation of the liquid.
Fazzalari added: “We spent three years and created over 1,000 tequilas in order to perfect the taste profile. Michael and I still to this day taste every batch before we bottle to ensure the highest quality. We have since won 24 Gold medals in the most competitive spirit competitions and are so pleased that the thought leaders in our community also love Cincoro.”
Despite being a relatively new player in the spirits category, Cincoro has rapidly emerged as a notable name, driven by its core guiding principles.
Fazzalari said: “Our brand is built on the belief that greatness is achieved through passion, dedication, hard work and the relentless pursuit of greatness. At the core of our brand is celebrating that pursuit of greatness. Our team reflects that message.
“The Cincoro team are hardworking people always striving to do the things at the very highest and best level. We are an authentic group who are truly passionate about crafting a delicious and beautiful tequila.
“Our core focus remains on the delicious taste and exceptional craftmanship that goes into making every bottle. You may hear about Cincoro because of the people involved but you will enjoy Cincoro because of its delicious taste and beautiful bottle.”
Building on its success in the USA, the brand made the strategic move to expand internationally in 2023.
Since it was established, Cincoro has also received a strong reception from the global market. In just ten months, it has entered 20 international markets and continues to expand rapidly each week.
“To date, the response from international markets has been outstanding,” Cincoro Tequila Managing Director – International Quentin Job said.
“We aligned on the strategic priority markets we would pursue, markets where the tequila wave was starting to impact, where the economics were right and also where global affluent consumers are travelling. These destinations included UK, Spain, Italy, France and Greece in Europe; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Middle East; plus key Asian markets like China and South Korea.”
Job outlined their strategic objectives for enhancing the brand’s global positioning over the next five years.
He said: “Our strategy is quite simple; firstly, ensuring we’re listed in the top five on and off premise accounts, excelling in social media with a focus on our liquid, bottle and great story. Additionally, we’re focused on converting to sales through ecommerce and delighting key opinion leaders with events and activations like our recent launch event with AC Milan in Italy.
“This year has been really exciting and I’m sure the next five years will be similar. We will focus investment on our strategic markets and look to expand ahead of the curve in new markets. I’m very excited about markets like South Africa (where we’ve just partnered with KWV) for example.”
Travel retail also plays a vital role in the brand’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on extending its US airport footprint.
The USA represents the largest market for Cincoro, where super-premium tequila resonates strongly.
The global tequila trend is driving interest in the brand across international travel retail markets, including in the Middle East and Asia, Job said.
The company has teamed up with leading travel retailers such as Lotte Duty Free at Changi Airport in Singapore, highlighting Cincoro’s growing presence internationally.
Job said: “We intend travel retail to play a key role in Cincoro’s success both in North America and internationally. We believe that this channel provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Cincoro to affluent international travellers. As such, we’ll be aiming to coordinate GTR launches and visibility programmes with our domestic market roll-outs.”
As reported, the company in April signed an agreement with Duty Free Global (DFG) for the distribution of its premium tequila expressions in travel retail across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Job commented: “We saw DFG as the perfect partner to help with our global expansion in travel retail. The team at DFG is really passionate about the opportunities for Cincoro in GTR and it’s great to have their full team behind our brand.
“We are working together with DFG on multi-country/airport package proposals across the territories mentioned earlier to step change our GTR presence.” 
