In 2023, Lewis Hamilton surprised the paddock when he showed up with an unbranded drink during the Japanese GP weekend. Shortly afterwards he unveiled his own non-alcoholic Tequila brand, Almave, which costs $40. Hamilton launched this alongside Iván Saldaña, who is the co-founder of Mexican brand Casa Lumbre. Also, there is a huge reason behind his motivations behind this particular venture.
While explaining the reason behind Almave, Hamilton wrote on Instagram,
“Almave is for people like myself, who are always pushing the limits of what’s possible. Who enjoy the taste of tequila but are focused on balance, longevity, and living fully.”
this >> pic.twitter.com/rTkZRb7yo3
— aly russell-leclerc (@wolfiefendi) November 30, 2023
While the non-alcoholic beverage industry is laced with big names introducing beers and wines, the Tequila niche is undoubtedly an untapped market. Naturally, the Briton saw huge potential, commercially and otherwise to enter this gap himself.
Hamilton and Saldaña have launched two different things in particular. Almave Ámbar Distilled Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit, will be for drinking on its own. On the other hand, Almave Blanco Distilled Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit will be for mixing.
While the paddock hasn’t specifically commented on Almave, Hamilton surely would be having a few regular customers emerging from the driver pool and elsewhere in the coming years. What’s more, the concept of Almave is inspired from his own lifestyle, and with that comes a golden marketing opportunity.
Why Hamilton started Almave
Hamilton is someone who takes his personal health very seriously. It allows him to on top of his game, and compete at the highest level of F1 eve at the age of 39. Cutting down on alcohol is one of the reasons why Hamilton’s physical health remains top notch.
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Meanwhile, Hamilton admitted that he doesn’t want to compromise on taste or flavors. As reported by The Drinks Business, Hamilton started Almave because he wanted people like him, to enjoy the flavor of alcohol, without actually letting it affect them.
Lewis Hamilton drives a new trend in the F1 paddock
Hamilton put his marketing hat on perfectly during the build up to Almave’s reveal. The Silver Arrows’ talisman was seen just casually sauntering around the F1 paddock with a glass full of his own Tequila. This gave his brand free publicity as all eyes are usually on him during a Grand Prix weekend.
That being said, it could have costed the Briton dearly. As one can imagine, this kind of practice is in contravention to the code of conduct published by the FIA. But as it turns out, Hamilton was not reprimanded by the governing body of the sport.
Lewis Hamilton is driving a new trend – non-alcoholic Tequila.
Since the end of 2021 non-alcoholic spirits are gaining momentum.
Brands such as Seedlip founded by Ben Branson have been claiming their market slice.
Let’s speculate on how they plan to scale pic.twitter.com/2VRhSL3uAt
— Adel Arab (@iamadelarab) November 7, 2023
Talking about his drink, Hamilton explained, “Almave adapts time-honored tequila-making practices to create a non alc spirit that doesn’t compromise on taste or quality. So proud to be a founder. I hope you approach it with an open mind, try it, and love it as much as I do.”
Hamilton isn’t the only one in the paddock who is into the spirit business. Patron Tequila has forged a partnership with Sergio Perez, and Daniel Ricciardo has his own fine wine collection ‘DR3‘. However, Hamilton has created a niche for himself in the paddock by being probably the first driver to have a non-alcoholic beverage venture.
