Where Community, Culture and Connection Join Through the Love of Agave
ABOUT US Where our Heart Is
Meet the Team
It takes a village to do what we do. Meet the rockstars that make it happen! Our team is made up of tequila enthusiasts that give their time and energy to ensure our mission is achieved. From left to right meet: Ralph Jimenez, Shauna Ratliff, Leon Gomez, Bibiana LaMere, Janna Lopez, and Jordan Caballero. Meet our Founder, Crystal Mercado Murphy below and learn how our passions and pillars keep us excited about the work we do in our communities.
Hola, I'm Crystal
Founder of The Tequila People
The Tequila People was born in 2022, but my love for tequila started over 13 years ago when I was properly introduced to it. I didn't just fall in love with the spirit, I fell in love with the experience and that is when everything changed.
My brother and I began to share the love of agave in our community with what started as a mixer for young professionals in 2009 and between 2009-2014 you would find me working behind the scenes at our tequila events because that's where I was most comfortable. From 2014 - 2021 I took over with our team of wonderful volunteers. This was never easy for me because well....
lets go back even further to my younger days when tequila was not a positive influence for my family. Growing up all I knew was that alcohol assisted in bad decision making that led to deep complexities within my family dynamics. For this reason, my tequila journey that began 13 years ago felt a bit uneasy, I felt a sense of guilt for being in an industry that promotes tequila and felt worse that I actually enjoyed sipping tequila. I didn't understand why until I did some major internal work.
Today, I am proud to say I am a woman owned business, leading a team of tequila enthusiasts, eager interns and creative contractors that are excited about the vision for The Tequila People. For me The Tequila People is not just a business, it is a personal breakthrough that has allowed me to show up with a new perspective. One that has led to a profound awareness and a deep appreciation for tequila (without the guilt) and this understanding has helped connect me to my own identity in ways I didn't think possible.
Tequila education and experiences hold a special place in my heart, and I am beyond grateful to share this gift of connection through the shared love of agave with YOU.
The Tequila People focus on the following pillars:
01
Education
We ensure our members and event goers immerse themselves in a traditional agave experience with like minded individuals and with tequila professionals. Tequila professionals help teach us about tequila culture and its significance.
02
Connection & Community
We provide reliable information to guide our attitudes and appreciation of tequila by sharing stories of the people making the tequila, by celebrating tequila for the sophisticated spirit that it is and by creating a space for conversations to be had through this shared love of agave in our communities.
03
Community Causes
We take pride in utilizing our respected and wide reaching platform to create awareness about others making a positive impact in our community. We believe in organizations that invest in our local youth. We are thrilled to be supporting Rancho Cielo Youth Campus–this organization focuses and assists youth that face a multitude of challenges by providing services such as education, counseling, transitional housing and vocational training. Our members graciously donate toward our agave inspired auction whose proceeds benefit this organization. Thank you for helping us support our local youth in our community.