The man creating a new Tequila competitor in South Africa
Sebastian O’Keefe returned to South Africa after 25 years abroad to create a new liquor, Inzalo Agave Spirits, which competes with Tequila.
O’Keefe grew up in South Africa but spent the last 25 years in the United States and Europe where he worked as a corporate executive for top global companies.
Over the last two decades, he has held numerous top positions at companies such as Foster’s Group, Gartner, and Amazon.
He has vast experience in the beer, wine, and spirits sector, having served as Amazon’s category leader in this department for many years.
Although he worked in wine and spirits for a long time in entrepreneurial-type roles, he never had something truly his own.
This is why he decided to return to South Africa two-and-a-half years ago to do something unique that he could call his own.
His passion was agave spirits, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant, a succulent native to Mexico and the southwestern United States.
The heart of the plant, called the piña, because it resembles a pineapple, is harvested, cooked, crushed, fermented, and then distilled to create the spirit.
The best-known agave spirit is Tequila, which is made from the Blue Weber Agave, which is found in Mexico.
Other popular agave spirits include Mezcal, Raicilla, and Bacanora, which have their own unique flavour profiles.
O’Keefe told Biznews that South Africa is home to numerous agave plants, and they have a rich history in the country.
The biggest concentration of agave plants in South Africa is in the Graaff-Reinet area, which was perfect for what he wanted to build.
“I started noticing all these different agaves and thought: South Africa is an agricultural powerhouse,” he said.
“We produce some of the finest wines in the world from some of the oldest soils on the planet.”
“If we already have agave growing here in this incredible terroir, surely there’s an opportunity to create something truly special.”
Inzalo Agave Spirits is born
O’Keefe and his partner Diego’s first ambition was to make the greatest agave spirit outside Mexico.
However, that quickly evolved into creating an entirely new category of agave spirit. Something completely unique to South Africa.
They spent a year driving the length and breadth of the country looking for the right plants. By accident, they found the perfect fit.
This plant, a unique species they call their “red agave”, grows at high altitude on an ancient seabed.
Once they discovered these plants, they established production on the farm itself. “We even converted a huge old stainless-steel milk tank into our steam oven,” he said.
They set up a production facility in Somerset West and opted for gentle steam cooking instead of the traditional pit ovens typically used for mezcal.
He explained that they would not call their spirit Tequila or Mezcal as it is illegal, similar to calling sparkling wine Champagne.
“We’re proudly calling ours an Agave Spirit. Our unaged version will simply be Batch One, and the barrel-rested versions will be Barrel One,” he said.
They settled on the brand name Inzalo Agave Spirits, and their first official bottling is expected to occur before the end of the year.
Although they have ambitions to introduce a new category of non-Mexican agave spirits to the international market, they will begin with the South African market.
“We’re starting right here in Cape Town, which has an incredible fine-dining scene, world-class bartenders, and millions of international tourists,” he said.
“We’ll build the local market first, then expand into the rest of Africa, and later dip into selected European markets.”
He said Inzalo Agave Spirits differs from Tequila as it is smooth, with no burn or harshness. “It is soft and complex enough to sip neat,” he said.
“Of course, it works in cocktails and pairs beautifully with food, but it’s made for slow sipping,” O’Keefe said.
Inzalo Agave Spirits
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