The tequila category has never been more crowded. Over 700 new entrants have launched since 2019, celebrity-owned brands have flooded the market, and consumer preferences are shifting faster than ever.
In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Roberto Ramirez Laverde, global senior vice president of Patrón Tequila at Bacardi. Roberto shares how Patrón built and protected its position in the super premium tequila category by staying true to quality, transparency, and craft.
They discuss the Pursuit of Greatness campaign, the creative partnership with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and how Gen Z is reshaping consumption habits across the spirits industry.
The conversation also covers how Patrón approaches music and culture partnerships, why the on-premise channel still defines brand equity, and how human connection remains the anchor in an AI-driven world.
Roberto’s career spans some of the most respected brands, including Heineken and Mastercard, giving him a foundation across both marketing and commercial leadership. At Bacardi, Roberto has also worked across rum and other agave expressions before stepping into the role of overseeing Patrón globally.
He brings a combination of brand-building discipline, cultural fluency, and a deep belief in the relationship between craftsmanship and consumer trust.
Key takeaways:
[02:52] Protecting What Made Patrón Iconic — Roberto’s philosophy for the brand starts with one clear commitment: protect what got Patrón here before worrying about what comes next. That means holding the line on quality, transparency, and craft in every decision, from the bottle to the partnerships to the campaigns the team creates. For Roberto, staying relevant and staying true are not competing priorities.
[04:08] The Additive-Free Campaign and Transparency as Brand DNA — One of the clearest expressions of Patrón’s positioning is the additive-free campaign. In a category where opacity around ingredients and production is common, Patrón has built a platform around telling consumers exactly what is in the bottle: agave, water, and yeast. Roberto frames this not as a marketing tactic but as an extension of how the brand has always operated. Transparency earns trust, and trust is the foundation of long-term brand equity in spirits.
[05:11] The Perfect Pour and the Guillermo del Toro Partnership — The Perfect Pour campaign connected Patrón’s production philosophy with cinema in a way that felt organic rather than manufactured. Roberto explains that the partnership with Guillermo del Toro worked because it was rooted in shared values: del Toro’s refusal to cut corners, his commitment to building real environments with real craftsmanship, and his hands-on approach to storytelling all mirror how Patrón approaches tequila-making. This is what Roberto means when he says partnerships have to reflect the brand’s standards.
