ALFREDO SOLTERO

Alfredo was born in Mexico and brought to the US at an early age. He grew up in San Francisco during the 60’s and 70’s, finished School at San Francisdo State and started working as a dishwasher in a Mexican Restaurant in 1971. He learned to cook and bartend, and opened his own Mexican restaurant in 1983, his second restaurant in 1989 and his first night club/Tequila bar in 1998. He sold two restaurants by 2000 and began working in sales with a California spirits distributor that same year. He is currently the Multi-cultural Market Manager - Northern CA for Diageo North America.

Alfredo became enamored with the subject of Tequila after learning that his Grandfather grew Blue Agaves during the 1940's Agave shortage in a region near the town of Tequila. He has visited several distilleries and interviewed many Owners and Agave farmers, learning as much as possible about the history, elaboration and enjoyment of this wonderful beverage. Alfredo is an accredited Tequila Expert by the “Academia Mexicana del Tequila.” He has conducted many Tequila seminars throughout the US and Mexico for various Retailers, Wholesalers, State Liquor boards as well as Consumers.

“My passion is to share with people the history of Tequila, from its humble beginnings to its meteoric rise in the late 90’s, and how it has been a part of the Americas for almost 500 years as a distilled product, the original distilled spirit of the Americas. I want to share what makes Tequila unique amongst all other Spirits so that the world will have a greater appreciation of this once misunderstood and often maligned spirit beverage. My purpose is to put Tequila in the position that it really deserves: “King of the Spirits"

Alfredo Soltero can be reached at Alfredo.Soltero@diageo.com