Diageo has announced the acquisition of 21Seeds, a super-premium flavoured tequila infused with the juice of real fruits. The brand is available in three varieties: Valencia Orange, Grapefruit Hibiscus and Cucumber Jalapeño.
21Seeds was founded in 2019 by three female entrepreneurs – Kat Hantas, Nicole Emanuel and Sarika Singh – whose vision was to create “great-tasting, smooth spirits with light touch flavours that are easy to mix and enjoy”.
The co-founders will continue to work on 21Seeds, collaborating with the Diageo North America team to help continue the brand’s growth.
Diageo noted that 21 Seeds (35% ABV) has tapped into consumer trends including flavoured tequilas, at-home cocktail-making and an increasing interest in premium spirits.
Each variant can be mixed into spritz-like cocktails including the brand’s signature Seed and Soda serve, featured in the video below.
In a statement Diageo said that the tequila category in the USA grew at +16% in 2020, “more than three times as fast as total spirits”.
“Within the category, the small but emerging flavoured tequila segment grew over +20% from 2019 to 2020, with super-premium flavoured tequila growing +65% over the same period,” the company noted.
Diageo President North America Debra Crew said: “21Seeds is one of the fastest-growing brands in the increasingly popular flavoured tequila segment and we are delighted to welcome it into our tequila portfolio.
“This acquisition is in line with our strategy to acquire high growth brands in fast growing categories. It is particularly special to me given Diageo’s longstanding commitment to champion inclusion and diversity, and we look forward to working with this dynamic trio of female entrepreneurs to continue growing 21Seeds.”
21Seeds Co-Founder Kat Hantas commented: “We created 21Seeds because, quite simply, it’s what we wanted to drink; something casual that made drinking tequila cocktails as approachable as a glass of wine or beer.
“It’s been a thrill to watch consumers embrace our brand, and we are excited about the future for 21Seeds with Diageo’s resources and capabilities behind it.”
