Timothy Maurice

A. My name is Timothy Maurice, the founder of Real Azul Tequila.

A. Oh, man, I don't know where to start. I've been working on this tequila for about 12 years now. I worked on it for eight years before we released it in 2018. I've been designing for different industries for about 20 years. I've developed brands for a lot of companies, bottled waters, energy drinks, and iced teas. I've been there from the beginning, from scratch, to watch them go local to national to international, and I've been 60 to 70% of their brand development.

And I didn't own 1% in anything I created. So, you have to think that if you can develop for them, why can't you develop it for yourself? So that's when I started working on my brand, Real Azul.

A. That's interesting. I tell people, what makes my tequila different from other tequilas are three things, presentation, smell, and taste. Often times, when you go into a package store, you'll walk by a brand that looks and tastes like its cheap. You often think it tastes as it looks. Whereas if you see a good-looking bottle, you'll be like, I want to try that. So that's the presentation. And our bottle can sit next to any bottle and hold its own. Then there's the smell.

You know how you'll go to a bar and someone will buy a group of shots and you'll grab the glass and smell it and then turn your nose away because of how harsh the smell is of the tequila. This is an ultra-premium tequila so it's very smooth on the nose. You can enjoy the smell of this tequila the same way you would your favorite room temperature spirit. Just kind of close your eyes and enjoy it. And yes, I am sipping.

A. The different flavors I have are Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. Those are the three categories of tequila. A lot of people don't know that tequila gets its color from the barrel. So, the Blanco is clear because it doesn't go into the barrel. Our Reposado which means rest goes into the barrel for nine months. Our Anejo which means age goes into the barrel for 18 months.

A. Well, technically my favorite is the Anejo but it's almost like what mood are you in? Because the

Anejo you want to take your time.

This is a sipping tequila. A lot of people don't know that. You use salt, chill and use lime just to mask how harsh the taste is and the bite.

This is a very smooth tequila and ultra-premium tequila, so you don't have to do that. You can enjoy and sip this tequila. Again, mine is the

Anejo. But what you'll notice is all three, they all have different notes and aromas. This is a lowland tequila. So, the Blanco has a real sweet and earthy tone from the earth. Our Reposado has little notes and aromas of dark vanilla and cinnamon. This is why I always say smell the tequila before you try it. And now Anejo has small notes of coffee and chocolate. So, they all have their own signature.

A. I am actually. I have Blanco,

Reposado, and Anejo. What I've been working on? I have four more under the same brand. I have a mezcal coming out this summer. For the holiday, I have a coffee-flavored liqueur called Black Cafe. I have a chocolate tequila. That's really good.

A. No. We're focused on Georgia.

This is where our headquarters is. That's where we focus first.

Now. Technically, we're going to announce tomorrow that our release into Indiana, and also next month we're announcing our release into Florida.

A. Well, the thing about it is, I see becoming a distributor. And what

I mean by that is, like I told you about my past of developing brands, I plan to continue to develop brands. I did take the tequila a little further by making

a tequila course. But now I'm also releasing, which a lot of people don't know, at a lot of my events I was buying orange liqueur, because Margaritas are the number one selling drink in the world. So, in order to make a margarita, you have tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and ice. So, all these events I was always buying orange liqueur. So, then I went to Mexico, and I was like, why don't I just make orange licorice so I can buy my own liquor to make? So, once I did that, I was like, hold up. Why can’t I make multiple brands, multiple flavors, pineapple, jalapeno, strawberry, passionfruit? And next thing you know I have six tequila liquors also coming out this summer.

A. Just to be frank, I guess I was on my own most of the time. So, for the first six to seven years I really couldn't afford to produce tequila. It cost too much. It was actually a little discouraging in the beginning because to own your own brand, pretty much in any alcohol it costs a lot. So instead of letting that discourage me, I asked myself, how many payments is that? So, it ended up being 8 years, 789 payments later, I own 100% of my brand. It took a while, but I got there. It's amazing what's happening right now with the brand.

I appreciate it. I almost gave up twice. But I stuck it out. And now the feeling of watching someone come in and ask for the brand by name and not even know who I am. Just to see that and hear that knowing how hard it was to get here. Man, it's one of the best feelings in the world.

A. Oh my goodness. We released

June 2nd of 2018. Two weeks later, we sponsored the Emmy Awards.

Another week later, we were live.

And next thing you know I'm doing a launch event for the movie Ford versus Ferrari. We did the second event at Tyler Perry Studios. And now we're partnered up with Harley

Davidson and Miss Bikini Coast

International. And it's just going amazing. Everyone's receiving this very well.

A. We have a list of projects. Our focus right now is of course Cinco de Mayo is coming up so that's the number one-day margaritas are sold so you know we're going to be live on Cinco de Mayo. But besides that, we're doing tours with Harley

Davidson. We're doing events with

Rolls Royce and Bentley. We’re the official sponsor for Miss Bikini

Coast International. And what I haven't announced is we're also the official sponsor for Buckhead

Fight Club, which is a boxing gym that does a lot of pay per views and everything. Logos on the mat. It's going really, really good.

A. The best thing I can say is, make sure it's a passion. Because your passion will help you get through every hurdle, hole, and wall.

If you really want it, just stick to it because 12 years ago, all I knew was tequila came in a shot glass. So, I had to educate myself, and you have to understand that what you're about to get into, you are not completely educated in what you're about to pursue. You're currently unqualified and I was. So, you have to put in the work of educating yourself and developing. Everything is not going to happen just like this. It's going to take time just stick with it. And stick to your own guns with this, right. If you listen to a lot of people on the outside, it may not even be tasting looking like how you saw it, and how you dreamed about it. So, stick to it. Just know it's going to take some time. And don't think everything's perfect. Just prepare. If something happens, just plan to get past that. Don't think that it's going to be flawless, and you'll be fine.

A. Absolutely. I want to say this.

Nowadays, everybody's doing everything healthy. People don't want to stop drinking. They just want to drink healthier. So, tequila is one of the top healthiest drinks for you to have. It helps with digestion, weight loss. This tequila is 100% agave. You will never get a hangover or headache off of this tequila. You drink half a bottle close to a whole, I guarantee no headache, no hangover.

A. If you're in Georgia, check our website. We have the locations on the website. If you're in Georgia we're located in Tower as well as a few others. Max, Savvy Provisions.

We’re in probably 100 locations bars and restaurants around

Georgia. Athens, Augusta. We also have a website which is realazul. com. Our Instagram is realazul_ tequila, as well as Real Azul Tequila on Facebook. Check us out.