It used to all be about the celebrity perfume — but now A-listers are lining up to put their names on something else that comes in a bottle.
Celebrity alcohol brands aren’t exactly a new concept with Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin, The Rock’s Teremana Tequila and Rita Ora’s Próspero Tequila.
But the latest star to join the ranks, Mark Wahlberg, says his involvement in a tequila brand isn’t a “cash grab” like other celebrities.
The US actor has teamed up with Flecha Azul creators Abraham Ancer and Aron Marquez.
The pair established their brand in 2020, offering additive-free tequila produced using traditional methods at Orendain Distillery in Mexico, with Wahlberg coming on board in 2022.
But, he told news.com.au, the US actor had never imagined himself entering the booze business.
“For me, it was always trying to influence people to be as healthy as popular. I was a guy who enjoyed drinking wine and having alcohol every once in a while but it was really centred around a healthier lifestyle,” Wahlberg told news.com.au.
He said he’d seen the success that other celebs were having in the space and had been approached before, but before he decided on throwing his money behind Flecha Azul, he wanted to know more about it.
“Once I heard Abe and Aron’s story, the success story they’ve had, the adversity that they had overcome and what they did to become successful in their own right, that was really inspiring to me,” Wahlberg said.
“What they created was something that was really authentic and pure and real versus everything else that seemed to be a bit of a cash grab.”
Wahlberg took it a step further, saying he wanted to be involved with the brand but ultimately wanted to work for Marquez and Ancer. Rather than overshadow them, he said he wanted the two men to be at the forefront to show people what “authentic premium 100 per cent addictive free Mexican tequila made by Mexicans” was supposed to taste like.
He said the response to the brand, which recently launched in Australia, had been overwhelming. Wahlberg added that even though fitness and healthy eating was still important to him, he also believes in balance and said you need to reward yourself for your hard work and accomplishments.
Marquez was born in Mexico and raised in the United States and he watched as the tequila category grew quickly in America and on a global scale.
“I felt that something was missing because the tequila that was out there was not really traditional handmade tequila. It was a lot of flavoured tequila,” he told news.com.au.
“I wanted to create a brand that represented our culture in the right way.”
Australia is the third country, after Canada and the US, to have Flecha Azul available to purchase. As a country that is typically used to getting premium brands last, the question had to be asked why the next place outside North America was Down Under.
“I think one of the things that’s been fascinating about Australia is everyone’s outdoors. Everyone’s running, or on a bike, sitting outside or on kayaks in the water,” Marquez said.
“It’s such a great, clean lifestyle and that’s what our brand represents.”
It also seemed like great timing as Wahlberg was going to be filming his upcoming crime film Play Dirty in various locations across New South Wales over the next few months.
“There are so many different (drink) choices and people have short attention spans right now, so I thought being able to come here and share Aron’s story would create awareness and excitement around it in a very hands-on way,” Wahlberg said.