The growing popularity of tequila has opened new avenues for entrepreneurial ventures, particularly for women in the industry. Shivam Mallick Shah and Lindsey Davis Stover recognized this opportunity when they co-founded the tequila brand 1953, striving to create a female-led enterprise in a predominantly male-dominated market.
As highlighted on their website, 1953 proudly asserts its commitment to female empowerment: it is “Founded, Farmed, Distilled, and Led by Women.” Their story was further discussed in a recent episode of Yahoo Finance’s podcast, The Big Idea, where the entrepreneurs elaborated on their journey.
Davis Stover, hailing from Texas, noted, “I just kind of got down this rabbit hole of where the women in tequila are, unfortunately, really hard to find. So that kind of led us to this idea.” She explained how their target demographic was consistently drawn to tequila, prompting them to build a brand that was rooted in the involvement of women at every operational level. The name 1953 reflects a significant milestone—the year Mexican women gained the right to vote—signifying their company’s dedication to empowering females.
Shah added, “People didn’t think it was necessary to have a female-led supply chain. They didn’t think that it would make a difference in the quality of the product, and they didn’t think that, frankly, we could do it.” This skepticism from industry leaders only fueled their determination to succeed.
Their exploration began with an organic approach, engaging with individuals in various distilleries and farms throughout Mexico. This led them to connect with a family-run distillery managed by women, namely Carmen and Adriana, which became the foundation for 1953’s production.
Shah shared a compelling narrative about their master distiller, Rocio Rodriguez, who was trained as a chemical engineer but faced concerns about job security. The distillery’s owners took progressive steps by establishing a nursery to support her needs, demonstrating a commitment to innovative practices that benefited the workforce.
However, finding a woman-owned agave farm proved challenging. In a landscape where inheritance often favors male heirs, Shah and Davis Stover sought guidance from Carmen and Adriana, who connected them with a farmer with four daughters. After discussions around the potential of passing ownership to his daughters, a family meeting resulted in a consensus that would enable the daughters to take a leadership role, thereby successfully closing the loop on 1953’s women-led supply chain.
Shah explained, “They had grown up on this farm, and they knew it like the back of their hand, but they never saw themselves as CEOs.” Empowered by the possibility of shaping the future for the next generation of girls in their community, these women embraced their new roles, aligning values and vision with 1953.
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