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Along the way, their relationships with the growers deepened, and conversations arose about how to share these special tequilas on a larger scale rather than the farmers selling the majority of their agave crop for pennies on the dollar to big brands for mass consumption. "ey were saying, 'e tequila that we make and that we sell, we end up making a lot more money on, and we get to express more of our passion. How can we do more of that?'" recalls Caffrey. Co-founded with Maddux and a third friend, Patrick Tracy, the concept for Bebemos (Spanish for "we drink") took shape, making its debut this year on Cinco de Mayo. e Encinitas- based tequila brand's image is a reflection of Caffrey's beachy upbringing brought to life by Tracy, also Bebemos' creative director, "kind of a throwback to the late '60s, early '70s in Southern California, that cool vibe, fish-tacos-and-tequila-on- the-beach sort of thing," says Caffrey. Its casual-cool aesthetic conveys the approachability that he enthusiastically professes will make a fan of even ardent tequila naysayers. "Even people who are like, 'I do not drink tequila' — and we all have our tequila stories, so I totally get it — but it's one of those tequilas that you drink it and you're like, 'Oh, that's not tequila.' So my hope is for everyone who [says], 'No, I don't drink tequila' is to try it and go, 'Oh, I'm converted.'" e tequila is a joven, a lesser-known type that blends blanco tequila with aged versions. "So, what happens when you experience it is there are these layers of flavors that build versus just one singular tone," explains Caffrey, who's also a sommelier. "It's why it also pairs so well with so many different foods, because you get this spiciness and back-end burn from the añejo, and you taste the tannins from the oak barrel, but then you also get this young, fresh smoothness from the blanco, and then a hint of sweetness and almost like oak-vanilla balance from the reposado." Its uniqueness is likely to be credited for putting Bebemos on the menu in more than 80 locations, just four months since its debut, accounting for about half the company's business; the other half comes from subscriptions on We Drink Tequila. "We always said we started with the product itself," says Caffrey. "A lot of other brands start with the marketing, and then they work backwards and find a product that fits, whereas for us, it's the attention to detail on how we make the tequila that's in it." Caffrey's love of Bebemos might only be equaled by his love of San Diego and a pride to call it Bebemos' home. "is city is really magical. I say it all the time. No matter where we travel — and we've lived in Italy and in Spain — when we come back, there's nothing like San Diego," he says. "And I think that's why, even creating a brand, we wanted the DNA of Bebemos to embody San Diego, because we love this place." bebemostequila.com, wedrinktequila.com @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2025 71 The Bebemos aesthetic is "kind of a throwback to the late '60s, early '70s in Southern California," says co-founder Preston Caffrey The Bebemos bottle's topper doubles as a 1 oz. cup for pouring or sipping