Hacien tequila Leeds: Meet the 'flavoured tequila guys' who are smashing perceptions of the drink

Eat Leeds has launched its first Cocktail/Mocktail Week, with more than 25 bars and restaurants in the city running bargain deals on tipples.

Among those taking part is Hacien, a new tequila brand which will serve its Pineapple Tommy’s Margarita for £7.50 at If At Night. Hacien was founded by Leeds entrepreneurs Seb Francis and Jordan Myers, who wanted to change perceptions of the agave drink.

Seb, 31, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We had an idea for an alcoholic drink concept, a shooter or RTD at the time. It was one of those late night kitchen conversations which came to fruition.

“We got additional feedback from the markets and went through loads of prototyping, drink and liquid development and feedback from a load of bars and bartenders. That idea evolved quite significantly from an RTD, to an RTD with tequila, then looking at flavoured tequila.”

After settling on a unique selling point for the brand, a premium flavoured tequila, Seb and Jordan flew out to Mexico to search for a distillery. Hacien was born, launching earlier this year, and it’s already being served in bars across the city.

“All the data was pointing to this being the next revolution,” Jordan, 32, said. “Seb is a big tequila fan and advocate for all things agave, but I was the complete opposite. I’d had bad experiences with lesser-premium tequilas when I was younger.

“The big ethos behind what we set out to do was to change perceptions of tequila, changing the damage that had been done in the past. I was almost the guinea pig; if I liked it, it meant we were heading in the right direction.

“That was a big element to introducing flavours to a high-quality tequila, it softens it for anyone who is new to the tequila world.”

Made using 100 per cent blue agave, Seb and Jordan said Hacien is naturally sweeter and smoother than other tequilas, making it a versatile tipple that can be sipped and savoured, or mixed into a cocktail or refreshing tequila and tonic.

HACIEN’s signature Pineapple Blanco infuses sweet and aromatic pineapple with 100 per cent agave tequila for a smooth and fruity finish. The Leeds lads have big ambitions for Hacien; they want to it into one of the ‘classic’ spirit brands.

Seb said: “The feedback has been really positive, in and around Leeds in particular. We’re proud Yorkshire lads and we’ve got plans to add stronger nods to the area in our brand.

“We want to be known as the flavoured tequila guys, but always ensuring that it’s good quality and always 30 per cent AVB, not a liquor.

“We want it to become a global brand. We’ve both run other businesses before, but we’re really ambitious with our plans for Hacien. The UK is the first stop but then we’ll be looking further afield.”

Jordan added: “I love that you can come up with an idea, it’s something that you talk about, then X amount of time thereafter - you see it on the shelves.

“You see people appreciating it and you’re part of other people’s good times.”