Michael Jordan is the most popular figure in the NBA. Winning 6 titles in his career, he is a fierce competitor on and off the court. This characteristic of his Airness is something that has helped him throughout his career. Be it on the court or in any business venture and business transaction, Jordan has always stayed competitive. However, here is a story of how 5 owners of different NBA franchises came together to create a tequila brand.
In the NBA there are the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and the Charlotte Hornets. They are rivals when it comes to the game of basketball, however, the owners outside the game share a strong bond. It is fair to say that the common love over something bonds a group of people who strive for something new. Here is a story of how 5 owners of NBA franchises came together to create Cincoro Tequila.
Born out of common love, Cincoro Tequila was launched by owners of 5 NBA franchises
It all started back in 2016 when the 5 owners of their respective NBA franchises went out for dinner in New York. Michael Jordan, Jeannie Buss, Wyc Grousbeck, Wes Edens, and Emilia Fazzalari decided to hang out together ahead of NBA meetings and decided to meet for dinner. Aside from owning NBA franchises, they had more in common than they would’ve imagined. Tequila was something that all of them loved and continued to bond over the spirit.
Born from a passion to create the finest tequila – Cincoro Tequila is now available at Figaris Wine Liquor pic.twitter.com/jv7T64iTJ4
— Figari’s Wine & Liquor (@figari_s) October 9, 2020
“It was the first time the five of us had ever gotten together for dinner and something really special happened that night as we bonded as friends who are arch rivals,” Fazzalari said. “We started talking about how much we all love tequila and we realized we had this shared passion,” she continued. They eventually decided to create a tequila of their own and take it to the market. It didn’t take long for them to be hooked on the idea of creating their tequila.
It took Michael Jordan and his partners 1000 bottles to finalize the taste profile
One thing led to another and sat down to decide on the taste profile for their tequila. According to Fazzalari, it took them 1,000 bottles before all of them could land the perfect taste profile. They chose Destiladora del Valle de Tequila as their distillery. Their meetings would be scheduled when they would be involved in NBA board meetings. After which they eventually found the perfect taste to signify their tequila.
“Michael, in particular, he taught us how to drink tequila. He taught us how to sip tequila,” Fazzalari said. “Michael and I actually taste every single batch before we bottle, because we wanna ensure that it’s super high quality and only the best,” Fazzalari continued. As for the design of the bottles, Jordan took the help of Mark Smith, the Creative Director of Special Projects at Nike. The five-sided Agave leaf-inspired bottle garnered a lot of attention.
Michael Jordan and 4 NBA owners launched super-premium tequila brand Cincoro, and it is now among of the most expensive tequila brands sold today. Its añjeo retails for $130, but Jordan’s favorite in the new line is $1,600 a bottle pic.twitter.com/wgH1wfUopM
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 16, 2019
‘Cincoro’ is a Spanish word and is translated to “five Gold.” Cincoro Spirits Group is named in honor of the five founders. They have come out with 5 editions Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, Extra Anejo, and Gold. Cincoro Tequila is turning out to be a good investment for the 5 owners as their value and volume are on the rise. Michael Jordan prefers Cincoro Extra Anejo as his preferred choice of tequila. The price of the bottles ranges from $349.99 to $1499.99.