Jorge Hidalgo made his way up from Mexico at the age of 16, He cut his teeth in the action sports industry during the early years of his career in pursuit of a surf-related lifestyle. His passion for branding and interest in the creation of brand culture led him through a series of primarily ground-up company ventures where wearing multiple hats and being resourceful is paramount. Jorge migrated from action sports to join the founding team of Peligroso Tequila, in 2009 which realized an exit to Diageo in 2014. The Peligroso team was successful in effectively translating its raw Southern California perspective to the industry, employing similar grass-roots promotion strategies and triggering multiple copy cat campaigns in the category. Jorge went on to conceive, create and develop one world’s first flavor infused Tequila brands, Libre Tequila, which grew to be distributed in 16 states. With limited resources and no full time employees, the brand excelled in tasting competitions and became highly recognized by buyers and national retailers. As a result Jorge beat out dozens of brands to earn the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Night Club & Bar Expo in 2019. With his expanding understanding of production processes and deep relationships in Mexico. Jorge went on to develop Seattle based Papa Bueno Tequila, Mexi Tequila Seltzer and Black Feather Whiskey, a departure from his agave related experiences utilizing his relationships south of the border to accomplish the launch of their award winning products. Recently, Jorge’s focus has been directed toward opening the door to the talented spritits craftsmen and women of Mexico. His unique appreciation and experience of both cultures revealed an opportunity to connect and expose the crafts of his native country to contemporary global business opportunities.