Anteel Tequila: The 'World's Only Coconut Lime Blanco Tequila' Is Black-Owned

Nayana Ferguson is the beauty and brains behind Anteel Tequila: the first tequila brand to be partially owned and led by a Black woman in the United States and the only company to distribute the world’s only coconut lime Blanco tequila.

It was Nayana who gave her husband the push and assurance that owning their own tequila brand was possible.

“My husband and I were looking for investments and businesses with our goal towards our retirement as we’ve both been in the corporate world over 20 years ago,” she told Travel Noire. “I asked him, ‘if you could do anything, what would it be?’ He said he would open up a tequila company, ‘but nobody can do that.’ I said, well why not?”

A couple of days later, she found the distillery the co-founders are using today. The duo had no idea they would become the first and only brand to distribute coconut lime Blanco tequila. Their only goal at the time was to create something different.

“In our research, we found out that the margarita is one of the most well-known drinks in the U.S. and so is the coconut margarita” Nayana added. “We wanted to create a drink that was a cocktail by itself. The coconut lime is inspired by the coconut margarita but you don’t have all the sugars that a lot of the coconuts or the margarita have.”

The brand, launched in 2018, was also inspired by Nayana’s courageous fight with both pancreatic and breast cancer.

“I am a 15-year pancreatic cancer survivor, almost going on 16 years, and an eight-year breast cancer survivor. As a cancer survivor, doctors really don’t want you to drink. I’m also pre-diabetic so basically, I need to eat as a diabetic by watching carbs because it turns into sugar. In our research, we found that because it is grown from a plant and made from agave, it’s naturally gluten-free, low in carbs, and low in sugar.”

Anteel Tequila is a brand that’s becoming a household bar staple. In 2020, the tequila could be found in three states. There are now seven states selling Anteel Tequila, and Nayana says it will be eight before the end of 2021. But, they’re not stopping there. A new and limited product is expected to soon hit the shelves in California and Michigan.

To find out more information about Anteel Tequila and how to purchase, visit the company’s website. And if you need a recipe idea, Nayana shared her go-to cocktails with Travel Noire. The recipes are below.