Solana Beach father and son launch tequila brand

During one of their frequent trips to Mexico, a Solana Beach father and son decided to launch their own tequila brand.

“The brand is very Solana Beach, like beachtown vibes, west coast,” said Cole Mueller, who co-founded Octavio Tequila with his father. “We love the beach and the outdoors.”

The brand is named after a bartender in Mexico who served them drinks one time while they visited a bar in the small fishing town of Los Barriles. After conceiving the idea, they spent a year contacting a distillery in Tequila, Mexico, and taking all the other necessary steps to start bottling and bringing the product to market.

“The customers like it once they try it,” said Mueller, who grew up in Solana Beach and attended Cathedral Catholic High School and UC Santa Barbara.

Their office is located on the 101 in Solana Beach. So far they have made inroads locally, where Octavio is available at liquor stores and restaurants, including Pacific Coast Grill, Pillbox, Minute Shop Liquor and Qwik Korner.

“We’re local in Solana Beach and we’re pretty much San Diego, Santa Barbara and a little bit of Northern California,” Mueller said. “We’re in various high-end restaurants and liquor stores and grocery stores throughout the area.”

He added that “we want to make it is as big as possible and make it nationally known.”

Mueller also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the opportunities to grow the brand through restaurants and bars, which have had to limit their services due to public health restrictions.

“We’re kind of on hold right now, but we’re definitely trying to work the distribution side of it, and the marketing side will come later when we have more avenues after COVID stops,” Mueller said, adding that one of the main goals is to have Octavio distributed throughout California.

He also said the company has been able to promote itself with an Octavio racing team through a Porsche racing league that his father, Bob, is part of.

Octavio gained some notoriety earlier this year in the 38th annual San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, where it won a gold medal for its Resposado Cristalina.

For more information, visit octaviotequila.com.