How This Stay-At-Home Mom Built One of the Fastest-Growing Tequila Brands - Kat Hantas, Co-founder of 21 Seeds Tequila

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes
from last year with Kat Hantas. Kat is the co-founder of 21 Seeds
Tequila, one of the fastest-growing flavored tequilas. 


Kat’s had an interesting journey - from thinking she wanted to be
a doctor, then pivoting to the entertainment industry, and then
being a stay-at-home mom for many years. She never would have
thought that she’d launch a business in the liquor industry. It
wasn’t until she started noticing that her evening wine wasn’t
making her feel good and her doctor recommended that she move
away from fermented spirits and into distilled spirits. 


In the process of exploring tequila options, Kat came up with the
idea to start 21 Seeds Tequila - a fresh natural tequila made
with real fruit. She was making this in her kitchen for years,
until one day the demand became so much that her friend inspired
her to start selling the bottles. This sparked the idea and Kat
co-founded the business with her sister and good friend to make
it a reality. 


The business was acquired by Diageo in just three years in March
2022 and the deal marked one of the largest female-founded liquor
acquisitions to-date.


In this podcast episode, Kat opens up about her journey with
imposter syndrome and shares tips on overcoming it in her career
in the entertainment industry and entrepreneurial ventures. She
discusses her transition from being a stay-at-home mom to
launching 21 Seeds, highlighting the challenges of finding a
distillery, creating product-market fit, and building a
supportive network. Kat ends by sharing the playbook she used in
marketing and the importance of knowing your customer, and so
much more. 


In this episode, we’ll talk to Kat about:


* Impostor syndrome and its impact on women's aspirations.
[03:44]


* From medical school to the entertainment industry. [07:10]


* Experience at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and starting her
production company. [12:14]


* Film "Taking 5," hiatus, and focusing on family. [16:55]


* Kat's journey as a stay-at-home mom, health challenges, and 21
Seeds inspiration. [22:00]


* From a hobby to launching 21 Seeds Tequila after nine years.
[25:38]


* Significance of co-founders in 21 Seeds' success. [30:00]


* Challenges in the male-dominated tequila industry without
expertise. [35:56]


* Launch process and diligent preparations for 21 Seeds. [42:24]


* Fundraising process and key lessons learned. [44:07]


* Early momentum and unique marketing for 21 Seeds. [49:49]


* Diageo's acquisition: a milestone in female-founded liquor
business. [55:25]


This episode is brought to you by Beeya:


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Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/


Follow Kat:


* Website: https://www.21seeds.com/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/21seeds/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathantas/


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