Carmen Villarreal of Casa San Matias Tequila recently traveled from her historic distillery in Jalisco, Mexico to host a special tequila tasting event at Tres Agaves Restaurant in San Francisco. On February 18th Villarreal hosted the restaurant’s Distillery of the Month dinner, leading tastings of seven different San Matias Tequila labels.

As the only female owner and CEO of a tequila distillery, Villareal also shared her personal story as head of an historic tequila brand.

She spoke with Visión Hispana a few days before the event in San Francisco.

“This is going to be a very important event,” she says. “We are very excited to be there to share our product and have the opportunity to explain the difference of our brand.”

Started in 1886, Casa San Matias was purchased by Villarreal’s husband in 1985. Though she did not work for the company then, Villarreal says her husband and her were very close and communicative. Her familiarity with the company and its employees served her well when her husband died in 1997. “I decided to come to the company and manage,” she says. Originally she was looking to hire a general manager to run the business, but began making decisions and has been the CEO for the last twelve years.

Speaking about her beginning as CEO, Villarreal says, “I needed to learn about everything. I am a good listener and I am always asking to the people who have the experience, who have the knowledge. We have people that have been working with us for 40 years.” She repeatedly praises her team of 230 people and readily gives them credit for the company’s success. Her modest leadership style, along with degrees in marketing and business, has contributed to the ongoing growth of Casa San Matias, which has positioned itself as one of the principal distillers of 100% agave tequila in Mexico.

It’s clear that Villarreal shares a great passion for tequila and its culture with her team. Their innovation has produced some unique products in response to the increasing popularity of tequila. Carmesi is a smooth reposado created in recognition of the increasing popularity of tequila among women drinkers. Villarreal says that the company’s Pueblo Viejo tequilas are very good quality, yet very affordable. She adds that their Gran Reserva, Orgullo has also become very popular since it was introduced four years ago. They also have an extra añejo tequila, which few distilleries produce - ‘Rey Sol’ is aged for six years.

Villarreal says the company has been marketing its tequilas for almost ten years in U.S., where they are expecting increasing sales. “There is a growing trend of American people tasting fine tequila. People are recognizing quality.”

Though it’s a positive trend in the American market, she admits that there is a lot of work to be done before tequila becomes as popular as other distilled spirits. “Still, the road is ‘muy largo’,” she says.

In addition to managing her tequila business and innovating new products, Villarreal offers her time and leadership within the tequila industry. In 2003 she received recognition from Consejo de Cámaras Industriales de Jalisco as outstanding industrialist in the tequila industry. She has participated actively in the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry and the Tequila Regulatory Council. She is currently advisor to the National Chamber of Commerce of Guadalajara.

Though clearly a serious business person, Villarreal seems most excited by the tequila product and all of its history, passion, and complexity. “There is a lot behind tequila, there is a culture.”