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MEET THE DONS
DON CENOBIO SAUZA
1ST GENERATION: 1873
Following the loss of his father at a young age, Don Cenobio Sauza left his family farm in search of a better life.
His journey led him to the vibrant town of Tequila, where he became enamored with the area and found steady work at a local distillery. It was here that he was given the ingredients and tools for success to come. He took on all kinds of jobs that taught lessons on the process of distillation, slowly but surely honing his craft. After enduring years of struggle, he made a bet on himself and set out to found his own distillery: “La Perseverancia,” a name befitting how Don Cenobio had persevered through trials to ultimately triumph as his own man.
The accumulation of experience and hard work made Don Cenobio a force across the industry in Mexico, stamped by a series of firsts that would change the world forever. As a mark of pride, he named his liquid “Tequila” after the land and proudly communicated the badge of “Made In Tequila.” Cenobio noted the unique characteristics of blue agave, native to Jalisco, and was the first to promote the exclusive use of the plant for tequila distillation. And after founding La Perseverancia, he became the first distiller to export his product to the US, leaving a legacy behind in what would grow to be one of the largest tequila markets in the world.
DON ELADIO SAUZA
2ND GENERATION: 1903
At the age of 26, Don Eladio Sauza took over the growing business from his father, Don Cenobio, and was tasked with guiding the distillery through a decade of turbulence as Mexico fought for its independence from Spain during the Mexican Revolution. Despite his youth, he emerged as a pivotal force in the struggle for independence, where he rallied patriotic sentiment across the country and transformed tequila into a resounding symbol of Mexican pride. Don Eladio bonded the spirit with the heart and soul of the nation at a pivotal time of the Mexican Revolution.
Once the war was over, the nation’s infatuation with Europe ended and Mexican culture flourished with Don Eladio playing an integral role. In 1932, Eladio established the first commercial radio station in Guadalajara - XEDQ. In 1938, he established La Colonial— the first modern nightclub in Guadalajara and a vehicle that helped introduce tequila to nightlife. So, while his father helped tequila immigrate across borders for the first time, Don Eladio represented a renewed spirit across his home country that culminated in tequila rising as a icon of national pride and celebration of Mexican heritage.
Don Eladio’s perseverance through many of the defining moments in Mexican history was instrumental in charting the course of where tequila is today, showing grit that was core to the Sauza family across generations. This continued on when he left the business to his firstborn son, Francisco Javier Sauza, who channeled his father and grandfather's legacy into a new bottled form.
DON FRANCISCO JAVIER SAUZA
3RD GENERATION: 1946
Exiled from his family after marrying a cousin of their rivals, Don Francisco Javier Sauza’s journey was tumultuous, bouncing around from job to job and struggling to make ends meet. When his father grew ill, Don Francisco Javier returned to the distillery and promised to carry on the family legacy. That promise and reconciliation with his father fueled him to revolutionize the industry, setting the stage for where tequila is today.
Don Francisco Javier was the leader in establishing a Denomination of Origin for tequila, building on the work of his father and cementing the liquid as a spirit of Mexico. He additionally helped permanently secure the formal spirits designation of “Tequila”, mandating that the spirit could only be created in Tequila, Mexico. His ambitions knew no borders as he became the first great global Tequila Ambassador, promoting the spirit on the international stage and bringing the pride of Mexico to the world.
In 1973, on the 100th anniversary of La Perseverancia, Don Francisco Javier held a dinner to celebrate the Dons who came before him– and raise his glass to all they endured in creating one of the most influential tequila houses ever founded. Don Francisco Javier served his guests a never-before-seen spirit, housed in 100 green ceramic bottles and engraved with the faces of the Three Dons. These were some of the first añejo tequilas ever served, having been tucked away and aged for over a year in the cellars of‘La Perserverancia’ distillery for this very occasion. His guests were so enamored with the result that they begged him to make more of it. With that, Tres Generaciones was born, designed by Don Francisco Javier to put tequila on the map among the world’s best spirits— a manifestation of the perseverance shared across the three generations of Dons. The rest is history.
