Suerte Tequila, the Boulder-based brand committed to centuries-old techniques to create its product, announced the appointment of spirits and hospitality industry veteran Summer-Jane Bell as the brand’s Northern California Ambassador.
“We’re thrilled Summer-Jane is part of the Suerte family,” said Suerte co-founder Laurence Spiewak. “As we reflect on our first full year as a brand, it’s important that we look forward to shaping the brand’s future. Summer has the kind of passion and industry experience to support the brand and our exponential growth.”
Bell, who has most recently called Oakland’s New Easy home, is well-connected in the craft cocktail community with a decade of experience as a bartender, brand ambassador, and bar owner. Most recently she represented Pur Spirits, where she co-wrote the brand’s newly-published Pur in Spirit, which features a number of her original recipes featuring the organic spirit.
As part of the leadership council for the USBG (U.S. Bartender’s Guild) since 2010 and board member for LUPEC (Ladies United for the Protection of Endangered Cocktails) since inception, Bell is at the forefront of education, community-building and philanthropy. Additionally, she organizes the Farmer’s Market Cocktail Series at San Francisco’s Ferry building for the USBG and CUESA (Center for Urban Education of Sustainable Agriculture).
“I have always had a fascination with agave spirits and have been fortunate to visit some of Jalisco’s famed distilleries to further my education,” said Bell. “There’s a great deal of pride that comes from working with brand like Suerte that’s so committed to preserving traditional production techniques, such as the use of a tahona to crush 100% of the piñas used in the final product.”
Bell has competed in and judged innumerable live cocktail competitions over the course of her career. The bar program she developed with an emphasis on house made ingredients at The New Easy in Oakland received “Best Artisanal Cocktails" accolades in Oakland Magazine, August 2013.
Bell’s appointment is just the latest in a string of moves by Suerte co-founders Spiewak and Sokol to strengthen their brand. In early October, they purchased the 15,000 square foot Tequilera Simbolo from the family of Suerte Master Distiller Pedro Hernandez Barba. The facility sits on 8.25 acres in the highlands of rural Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco, Mexico. This allows the brand to be vertically integrated, ensuring that Suerte tequila is the only brand distilled at the facility and that they are bottled on-site. The strategy also allows for internal control of the brand’s agave supply, guaranteeing only the highest-quality product is used in creating Suerte’s blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas