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“We saw clear potential in mezcal,” says Aaron Paul, co-founder of Dos Hombres Mezcal with fellow actor Bryan Cranston. “Ask someone on the street, ‘Tell me the name of your favorite mezcal.’ [and] They’re like, “Oh, mezcal…” but they can name vodka and tequila. ”
Cranston and Paul played Walter White and Jesse Pinkman on the award-winning AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad, we quickly became friends on set. So when Paul suggested the duo launch their own mezcal brand a few years after the show ended, Cranston agreed.
Image credit: Paul Quitoriano of Dos Hombres Mezcal
Dos Hombres, which means “two men” in Spanish, was released in 2019. This mezcal is made by third-generation maestro Mezcarello Gregorio Velasco, who uses the traditional production method of blending Espadin agave, hand-picked on the hillside in the small village of San. Luis Del Rio, Oaxaca, Mexico. Aromas of apple, mango, local ‘zapote’ fruit and wood, with ‘almost imperceptible’ smoke on the finish.
Constellation Brands announced in 2021 that it will acquire a minority stake in Dos Hombres through its venture capital group, but the company will remain independently owned and continue to manage, market and produce mezcal.
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Last week, Paul and Cranston appeared at Applebee’s in Times Square to showcase Dos Hombres’ recent partnership with the restaurant chain, including three $9 cocktails each: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Teremana Blanco; They promoted Breaking Rock Rita with tequila. Dos Hombres), Passion Fruit Mezcal Rita, and Classic Mezcal Rita.
Image credit: Paul Quitoriano of Dos Hombres Mezcal
“I think actors especially are used to stepping into something they don’t know.”
Paul and Cranston’s passion for the brand was evident throughout the event. At one point, the two even ventured behind the bar themselves. They’re determined to make Dos Hombres the number one mezcal, and they say that means doing things a little differently than some of the many other big-name spirits brands.
“Celebrities have opportunities,” Cranston said. “They’re opening the door. Do you want to come in? It’s up to you. And a lot of celebrities come in and then leave. Do you want me to go and work?”
”Wait, you don’t just write me a check?,” Paul quipped.
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“There are far more celebrity brands that fail than successful brands,” Cranston said. But just like their on-screen characters, these two aren’t afraid to get in the trenches and do what needs to be done. Until about six months ago, the co-founders were “constantly emailing back and forth” and Paul ran the company’s social media accounts.
“I think actors especially are used to walking into something they don’t know,” Cranston says. “Every time we get a job, we think, ‘Maybe this is it, but I’m not sure.’ I play a podiatrist, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to learn about feet. “That’s why we don’t hesitate to step into things we don’t know. We’re like dry sponges. That’s why we go to Oaxaca once a year and talk to people. To do.”
Image credit: Paul Quitoriano of Dos Hombres Mezcal
“We break bread with them. We talk with them and we learn.”
Dos Hombres has 50 employees in Mexico and 22 in the United States, and Paul and Cranston personally interviewed each person hired for the team. They want everyone to understand the culture they have built. “We work hard here and then we go home,” Cranston says. “That’s the best thing. Good luck and go home.”
Paul and Cranston are “extremely proud” of the team members they have assembled and seize every opportunity to learn from them.
“We break bread with them,” Cranston says. “We talk to them and we learn. Every time we go out there, it’s like, ‘Oh, wait a second, that’s new. Why are we doing this? Oh yeah, what happened there?’ ” Then [we] Learn about mashing, smoking, fermenting, distilling, and bottling. ”
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Paul and Cranston’s practical leadership approach to building your ideal company, team, and culture is simple and perhaps underappreciated these days.And that’s inherited from their years of experience on set Breaking Bad. Paul, who was 28 years old when the show started, said Cranston taught him that “When you’re first on the call sheet, you can set the tone.”
”[Cranston is] “He’s the hardest worker in this room, but he’s also the most immature person I’ve ever met,” Paul says, “and I say that with love and respect because he’s perfect at his job, but… Because he has the best time working. He loves to play pranks. [he] Im kidding. ”
According to Cranston, there were hundreds of people on set who felt responsible and involved not only the crew but also the crew’s families to establish the close-knit culture they had envisioned. He started a bowling night. “We would take over the entire bowling alley and just play,” he recalls.
Image credit: Paul Quitoriano of Dos Hombres Mezcal
“In Mexico, they say “kiss the soul.”
The co-founders may not have expected to go into business together in their early days on set. Although Cranston admitted that he had no idea Paul had such a “business mind,” he was quickly impressed by his co-star’s boundless “energy” and strong work ethic, saying, “He’s like Jesse. He doesn’t look like Pinkman at all,” he added.
Needless to say, the real-life friends have an even more functional business partnership than Jesse and Walt. They also have a lot of fun with it. If you meet someone at a bar, don’t ask for a shot of mezcal.
“We go to bars and restaurants a lot, and most of the younger kids say, ‘Oh, let’s have a shot,'” Cranston explains.
“Drinking a glass of mezcal is blasphemy,” says Paul. “In Mexico, they say “kiss the soul.”
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