Getty Image / Thaddaeus McAdams / Contributor
Mark Wahlberg has become the latest celebrity pitchman for an alcohol brand. The actor announced a partnership with a tequila brand.
RELATED: What’s The Difference Between Tequila And Mezcal?
This week, Wahlberg joined the long list of celebrity pitchmen for alcohol companies by announcing that he is a principal investor in the tequila brand Flecha Azul – which was co-founded by PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and Mexican entrepreneur Aron Marquez in 2017 and launched in 2020.
“I am always looking for great business opportunities to invest my time and energy. When I was approached by Abraham and Aron, we immediately connected, and I knew that I wanted to partner with them to help build Flecha Azul into a global brand,” Wahlberg said in a statement, according to Fox Business.
“The spirits business is on fire, but I really just wanted to invest in them [Ancer and Marquez],” Wahlberg said. “I’ve obviously seen so many people having success in spirits, but nobody’s created a great product like they have, certainly not some of the big success stories coming out of the celebrity spirits world. So I wanted to invest in them and celebrate what they’ve created and really help them achieve their goals.”
“It’s funny because when it was first mentioned to me I said ‘absolutely not,'” Wahlberg told CNN Business. “You have all these other people out there claiming to have gone to Mexico and created tequila and cultivated agave and all this stuff. They were like, ‘This is not what that is, we have two amazing guys who are really young and like minded.’ … I just said I would love to invest in them.”
“I said I want to put my money where my mouth is and cut a big check and get involved with your brand and utilize all of my resources … everything that we have we are going to tap into and utilize to make sure this brand is as successful as possible,” Wahlberg noted.
Walhberg announced on Instagram, “Excited to share my latest project @flechaazultequila. When I met founders @abrahamancer and @aronhmarquez and tried Flecha Azul, I knew they had something special on their hands. Handcrafted in Jalisco, Mexico from 100% estate-grown Blue Weber Agave, this tequila is ultra-premium and really honors their Mexican roots. I knew I wanted to share their amazing product with the rest of the world. I can’t wait for you to try it. Cheers!”
Wahlberg previously promoted Flecha Azul on his Instagram months ago.
Ancer understands that the tequila space is extremely crowded.
“There’s a lot of tequila out there that are very good and nobody knows about them, and there’s some tequila that are not very good, and a lot of people know about them,” Ancer said. “I kind of want to change that a little bit with our vision of bringing tequila to the US, with no shortcuts, the right way.”
The press release states, “Flecha Azul is rooted in the bonds of friendship, love for Mexican culture, and living the American Dream.”
The official Instagram account for Flecha Azul shared a photo of Wahlberg with the caption: “Welcome aboard, @markwahlberg! We are thrilled to have you join the @flechaazultequila team. Big things ahead! Vamos!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYmeTuHsPeZ/
Flecha Azul offers five kinds of premium tequila: Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, Cristalino, and Extra Añejo — priced from $49 to $300.
RELATED: Here’s A Guide To The Differences Between The Five Official Types Of Tequila
This is the latest business venture for Mark Wahlberg – who also owns burger chain Wahlburgers with brothers Donnie and Paul, apparel company Municipal, film and TV production company Closest to the Hole, nonfiction production company Unrealistic Ideas, gym chain F45, and the Mark Wahlberg Auto Group.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” Wahlberg stated. “I would buy a bundle of newspapers for a discount and go and try to sell them. I was shoveling snow. I would do everything that I could, having come from very humble beginnings. … If there was something that I wanted or some goal that I had that I wanted to achieve, I had to go out there and make it happen on my own.”
Mark Wahlberg has an estimated net worth of $300 million.
Hollywood star George Clooney started his own tequila brand and then sold Casamigos Tequila for a whopping $1 billion to alcohol giant Diageo in 2017. The massive windfall encouraged other celebrities to hawk their own brands of booze.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson launched Teremana Tequila, Matthew McConaughey has his own line of Texas-inspired Longbranch Whiskey with Wild Turkey Bourbon, Dan Akroyd has Crystal Head Vodka, Ryan Reynolds acquired Aviation Gin, Michael Jordan is involved with Cincoro Tequila, Wu-Tang Clan have their own brand of vodka, Bob Dylan has his own line of whiskeys and bourbons called Heaven’s Door, Diddy has Ciroc Vodka, Justin Timberlake has Sauza 901 Tequila, Drake has Virginia Black Whiskey, Connor McGregor has Notorious Irish Whiskey, Channing Tatum has Born and Bred Vodka, Kenny Chesney has Blue Chair Bay Rum, and rocker Sammy Hagar is working on a new tequila with celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
RELATED: How To Make A Keto Margarita