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Bertha González Nieves, born in Mexico City to a family of entrepreneurs, exemplifies the innovative spirit of the tequila industry. Her entrepreneurial journey began with small businesses in Mexico and later included a transformative stint as a Mexican ambassador to Japan. 

After a visit to Jalisco’s agave fields, her passion for tequila was ignited. With over a decade in various roles at a leading tequila company and a pivotal partnership with Bob Pittman, she co-founded Casa Dragones in 2008. Under her leadership, Casa Dragones has redefined luxury sipping tequila, showcasing the finest of Mexican craftsmanship and creativity.

Worth asked González Nieves to share her story, and she wrote this response back to us.

When did you know you wanted to be involved in the spirits industry? What was your path like to get to where you are today?

I was born in Mexico City and come from a family of entrepreneurs. So naturally, I was very entrepreneurial as a young woman, starting various small companies such as a poinsettia business and a greeting card business.

Can you share a pivotal moment in your career journey that shaped your current leadership approach?

Working with Bob Pittman was truly inspiring. I learned a sense of urgency that one can only truly appreciate if they are running their own business. That sense of urgency, that feeling that we move mountains if we try, inspires me every day to lead and to lead my team to success. Everyone in our company is truly passionate about Casa Dragones, about tequila, and about doing the best job they can do. 

How do you measure success? By financial metrics? Impact-based metrics? Others?

When we launched Casa Dragones, we set on a quest to create a true sipping tequila and to prove that tequila can gain a fair share of the luxury spirits segment among long-established categories like cognacs and whiskeys. Mexico has the craftsmanship, and tequila has 250 years of best practices, so we always believed tequila had a place amongst other high-end spirits. For us, success is showcasing the best of Mexico in everything we do. 

Some of the ways we do this are by exploring unique food and tequila pairing opportunities with world-class chefs, such as chef Enrique Olvera, chef Gabriela Cámara, chef Daniela-Soto-Innes, and chef Thomas Keller. We also focus on showcasing high-end Mexican mixology, and the incredible design and contemporary art coming out of Mexico. 

As well, success is not only measured in how we’ve grown as a company but also how we’ve seen the ultra-premium tequila category grow. We know for certain that our consumers are looking for quality over quantity, and we’re proud to be a part of that trajectory.

In what ways do you foster innovation and creativity within your company culture?

Innovation is what we like to do best—to explore the possibility within the tequila category and to push the boundaries of what has been done before. These are the standards we’ve set for ourselves as a company. We’re rebellious, and we encourage those that we work with to continue to push those boundaries, elevate the category, and change the way people think and drink tequila. Most recently, we released Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara, the industry’s first and only tequila rested in Mizunara casks from Japan, traditionally used for aging Japanese whiskies. 

We also love collaborating with creative talent, from chefs to designers to contemporary artists, to give them a platform where they can create and express themselves freely. As the Official Tequila Partner of Art Basel Miami Beach, we launched the series Art-Tenders, where contemporary artists get behind our bar to craft original cocktails inspired by their work. We also recently launched a very limited Casa Dragones Joven Artist Edition bottle in collaboration with our dear friend and critically acclaimed artist Petrit Halilaj. We remain committed to expanding the tequila repertoire while creating new ideas to surprise and enamor the tequila lover. 

What are the most powerful market, cultural, or other forces currently shaping your business? How do you navigate and adapt to these forces?

Ultra-premium tequila is growing worldwide at an accelerated pace. So, we are seeing that our customer is looking for quality over quantity. For us, we continue to produce the highest quality sipping tequilas to surprise and enamor the tequila lover. We recently launched two new barrel-aged expressions crafted with the same meticulous attention to detail we have become known for. Casa Dragones Añejo Barrel Blend is an extraordinary blend of two styles of aged tequilas, each aged in different kinds of new custom-made wood casks: French oak and American oak. Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara is the first tequila rested in new Japanese Mizunara casks, crafted from a rare wood typically used for Japanese whiskies. 

We are also seeing that our customers are looking for ultra-exclusive, high-end experiences. We offer these kinds of experiences in La Casa Dragones and in our Tasting Room, both of which are in our hometown in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Here, we offer professional tequila tastings, tequila pairing dinners, and private events. In fact, La Casa Dragones, the original 17th Century stables of the legendary Dragones cavalry, was recently restored and redesigned in 2021 as an award-winning showcase of mid-century Mexican Bajio design, so we now offer unique, historical design tours in conjunction with these experiences in our house. 

Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you are particularly excited about?

Yes, we definitely have a few exciting projects coming in the future. For one, I am very excited about the opening later this year of our first Casa Dragones Tasting Room outside of Mexico at Fontainebleau Las Vegas in collaboration with renowned chef Gabriela Cámara and award-winning design architect Frida Escobedo to deliver a high-end tasting and educational experience in the U.S.

Also, as mentioned earlier, we recently launched our fourth Casa Dragones Joven Artist Edition in collaboration with our dear friend Petrit Halilaj, a renowned contemporary artist. We recently launched this Artist Edition, called They Are Lucky to Be Bourgeois Hens,  in conjunction with his current exhibition display at the MET Roof Garden in New York. As well, as official partners of Art Basel Miami Beach, we will be relaunching our Art-Tender series in Miami again this year.  

Our motto is “worth beyond wealth.” We highlight people who are successful in business but also seek achievements beyond material gain. What does that notion mean for you personally?

I have often said that we’re not only selling tequila; we’re “selling Mexico.” For me, showcasing the best of Mexico through the craftsmanship, innovation, and quality of our sipping tequilas is the mission of the company and what I am very passionate about on a personal level.

If you could ask Worth readers to do one thing to make the world a better place, what would you ask?

My only ask or recommendation for Worth readers is: do what you love, be passionate about your career choices, and don’t let anyone tell you what you cannot do. 

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, your business, your industry, or any causes you support?

At Casa Dragones, we focus on talent and partnering with experts. In the case of high-end mixology, Mexico has made incredible inroads on the world stage, developing some of the most renowned and innovative beverage programs in the world. We’re proud to be part of those programs and showcase some of the world’s top Mexican talent to the world. We created a Bartender Exchange Program focusing on the exchange of knowledge, passion, and craftsmanship of tequila between the U.S. and Mexico. A recent example is bringing Ana Herrera of Handshake Speakeasy (who was just named #1 on North America’s 50 Best Bars list) and José Luis León of Licorería Limantour (#4 on North America’s 50 Best Bars), to The Vault in the Bellagio for Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas.