THE COMPANY WE KEEP: Sarah Kennan the founder of Leonista – a proudly South African tequila

The Company We Keep is a column on the CN&CO blog that profiles some of the most interesting people in our networks. Here we share the details of the lives of people we know, showcasing the extraordinary diversity of our society and proving that people truly are at the heart of everything we do.

In this post Blake Dyason chats to Sarah Kennan the founder of Leonista.

Sarah, where did the love for tequila come from? 

I love to party but I can’t handle hangovers. 100% Agave spirits (Tequila, Mezcal) is the only alcohol I’ve found that I can have an amazing celebration on and wake up in the morning feeling fine. It’s also the only spirit that gives me a buzz as apposed to making me feel sluggish. However there are rules to follow – Stick to tequila and don’t have too much. I was the Tequila Queen, bringing a bottle of tequila to the party and drinking it on ice. 

When did you decide to make your own tequila?

I experimented with making my own in my garage for Afrikaburn in 2016. I wanted to give burners a gift of a spirit of the desert in the desert. It was made from 100% agave, high energy and good quality and grown in the Karoo, South Africa. People loved it, inspiring a trip to Mexico to learn how to make tequila properly from the maestro distillers. That’s where I discovered Mezcal and all the other agave spirits. I was so inspired by my trip I came back home, found the farmers and distillers crazy enough to work with me to make the first 1000 bottles. But first I needed to make money to pay for this, so I headed to Canada for 4 months planting 100 000 trees. I sold the first 1000 bottles to friends, family and a few bottle stores but that was my minimum viable product and what got me my first investor. We officially launched Leonista in Nov 2017.

Tell us about your experience in Mexico.

Mexico was my first solo adventure and a life-changing experience that catalysed me to start my own company. I traveled to surf and taste tequila but I came back with a passion for so much more. I traveled to Tequila town in Jalisco and tasted some of the most amazing tequilas. Some were like perfume, some tasted like roses, others fruity.

I also explored southern Mexico – Oaxaca where Mezcal is made and also fell in love with that spirit which is also made from agave but made in a more traditional way and has a smokey flavour. 

We ended up dancing naked on the beach under the moonlight till late. I never felt drunk, I just felt energised and the next day I woke up right as rain. I couldn’t help but want to bring it back to South Africa. I wanted to create the same culture and industry in SA that I experienced in Mexico. 

You always speak with so much love for the Karoo

The Karoo is a quietly desolate and romantic place that gets under your skin and before you know it you’re in love. Wide open landscapes, harsh climate, small shrubbery but some of the most delicious food and well made products come from the Karoo. It’s a place that agave loves to grow. It is used as an emergency source of food for animals in times of drought. I became aware of the amount of agave growing in the Karoo through my boyfriend’s family who have a farm close to Victoria West and through them I was introduced to the right farmers who have acres of agave ready for harvest. Fields of gold waiting to be used. 

We make agave spirit from karoo agave = Agave Americana in the same traditional fashion that they make Mezcal in Mexico but with our own special African touches. Harvest, bake the pina in a wood fired oven, squash, ferment, distill and age in barrels to make Reposado. We use old American oak barrels that used to have brandy in them.

Where does the name Leonista come from?

Leonista. “Leon” means “lion” and “ista” means “person” so it means “lion person” or “Lion energy.” Good quality tequila gives you a buzz so we want Leonista to give you an African buzz. Energy of the lion and lioness. We want consumers to have fun with the product and rewild themselves. 

The logo is a lioness with a sugar skull design so she is proudly African but inspired by Mexico, which is the brand essence in a nutshell. 

  #REWILDYOURSELF The mantra we live by. Embodying our mission of rewilding our planet with beautiful African products by adding a “Touch of Wild” to everything we do.  

What makes Leonista different from other Tequilas in SA?

100% Agave 

100% Premium 

100% Organic 

Award winning 

1% for the planet – We are a company that is giving back to conservation at the same time as growing. 

We want you to rewild yourself by celebrating life with our beautiful products and in doing so help protect wild places. 

Rewild yourself; protect wild places.  

Where can we buy Leonista? 

Leonista is listed nationally in all major retailers and online stores: PnP, Checkers, Norman Goodfellows, Takealot, Tops, Blue Bottle, etc.

If you can’t find it you can purchase from our online store and get branded merch at the same time delivered right to your door nationwide.

We are also exporting to Japan, Netherlands, Germany and Nigeria. 

Thank you for sharing your passion and story with us. Is there anything else you want to share?

Our Vision – We want to be the Patagonia of the liquor industry. We strive to be successful and profitable with quality products sold all over the world, representing the best of Africa while also helping protect wild places.

If you want to partner with us, invest with us or help us. Get in touch. Let’s grow the pride.