STORY
Rick "Rico" Olivo was introduced to the world of 100% de agave tequila in 2008 when he became general counsel of a national tequila brand. Rick grew a new appreciation and love for this sweet elixir from Mexico and set out to learn as much as possible in the years that followed.
His journey included many trips to Jalisco, hundreds of tequila tastings, and new friendships in the industry that guided him toward a new vision: to share his life-changing experience with the world. Together with family and friends, they developed a small batch, traditional tequila that symbolizes friendships and creates lasting memories.
Rick Olivo has spent a lifetime traveling the world and immersing himself in the cultures and traditions of the countries he visited. This journey started with a two-year stint in the Philippines. His elementary school years were spent in Spain where he learned about the finer delicacies of food and wine from his maternal grandparents. His father’s career as a diplomat eventually took him to Cairo, Egypt, where he graduated from high school and made lifelong friends. During college, he took advantage of the opportunity to intern at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for two summers and traveled extensively throughout Europe. His travels also took him to Ecuador, Belize, Mexico and various Caribbean nations.
Tequila is fast becoming the spirit of choice for consumers across North America in 2022. However, 10-20 years ago, drinking 100% de agave tequila was about being cool. Even then, Rick was fascinated with how harvesting, production and distillation affected the taste. His vision was to share the tradition, culture and mystique of Mexico's Tequilana Blue Weber agave with the rest of the world.
The comparison between tequila and wine was obvious and Rick wanted to learn about the complexities of tequila production. So he traveled to Jalisco and explored the agave fields in Los Altos and El Valle. He visited dozens of distilleries and met with their master distillers to inquire about their passion and how its reflected in the flavor of tequila. This included tasting hundreds of tequila profiles.
Rick then spent time with the experts at the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) and was introduced to the science of tequila production, including learning about the soil, the agave plant, variations in cooking, crushing, fermentation, distillation, aging and the use of additives. Eventually he participated in and passed a day long class presented by the CRT certifying him in "Professionalism in Tequila Culture".
Rick and his wife Sharon partnered with his former high school classmates Ken Long and Bassem Ahmed to create a tequila that “stimulates your senses” and symbolizes friendships and memories. Don Rico Tequila represents the culture and tradition of Mexico with a little influence from around the world.
