Mexico Distilled, India Powered: Here's how these south icons are redefining the tequila game

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In a market overflowing with celebrity-backed spirits, here's one that's gaining some traction for standing apart. What began as a conversation between friends has evolved into a global tequila label distilled in Jalisco, Mexico, awarded across US cities from New York and Miami to Denver and San Francisco, and now preparing for a significant entry into India's fast-transforming premium spirits landscape.

For actor-entrepreneur Rana Daggubati, musician Anirudh Ravichander, and entrepreneur Sree Harsha Vadlamudi, this is not an endorsement but a meticulously built, culturally rooted brand created by founders with distinctly different strengths (read cinema, music and entrepreneurship) but share an appetite for ideas that travel.

Their brand, Loca Loka, means a ‘crazy world' (Loca means crazy in Spanish and Loka in Sanskrit means world. "What drew me to Loca Loka wasn't just tequila," says Daggubati, "but the chance to build a brand that sits squarely where culture, craft, and curiosity collide and authenticity takes centre stage."

(L to R) Rana Daggubati, Sree Harsha Vadlamudi, Sujith Reddy Parupati, Anirudh Ravichander, Annamaneni Vidhatha and Subba Raju Penmatsa

This is not his usual investor role - Loca Loka marks the first time he steps in as a co-founder, shaping everything from brand narrative to emotional identity. His focus is to ensure the brand doesn't land as just another bottle on a bar shelf, but as an experience people connect with. For Daggubati, tequila acts as a cultural remix of Mexico's deep agave heritage, India's exuberant celebratory spirit, and a global youthfulness that feels fresh and borderless. "Loca Loka mirrors the way I like to live - honest, rooted, and a little wild around the edges. It's premium, but never pretentious - exactly my vibe," he adds.

What excites him most is bringing the brand home [it launched first in the US last year] to Indian consumers, and seeing this launch as an opportunity to reintroduce tequila in India, not as a quick shot, but as a spirit with depth, character, and soul.

Vadlamudi, the strategist who turns vision into scale with his two decades of experience across hospitality, breweries, wellness, infra, and sustainability, began working on the brand during lockdown. He deep-dived into data, trends, category gaps, and global consumption patterns. "The numbers were clear," he says. "Tequila was on an unstoppable global trajectory." But the clincher for him was cultural synergy. India and Mexico are both vibrant, festive, expressive, and rooted in tradition. "Loca Loka represents the joy, energy, community and beautiful chaos of a world where boundaries blur," says Vadlamudi.

In Jalisco, Mexico, distilleries slow-roast, slow-ferment, and slow-distil agave, letting the land - its air, earth, and unhurried rhythm

Launching first in the U.S. - one of the most competitive tequila markets in the world - was a strategic decision. Competing with legacy brands required uncompromising quality: 100 per cent blue agave, highland cultivation, meticulous distillation, and obsessively crafted expressions. Conducting blind tastings, winning awards, and sold-out batches reaffirmed their choices. "When you combine craftsmanship, clarity and conviction, people respond," says Vadlamudi.

For India, he envisions a long-term, discipline-led approach: thoughtful distribution, trade partnerships, education, and a brand that earns its place rather than chasing noise. "India is not just another market; it's a strategic growth engine," he says. "What we build here becomes the blueprint for expansion across the region."

The youngest of the trio, Ravichander, is the most culturally influential. He brings the rhythm, vibe, and sensory depth to the brand. For him, it is not a business extension but it is an emotional and creative universe.

"My journey into Loca Loka began like a soundtrack… one spark, one instinct, and an energy that refuses to sit still," he says. His role is to shape the sensory identity - the mood, the sonic cues, the emotional energy of the brand. "Good tequila has a tempo of its own," he says, "and the brand gave me a chance to translate that into a creative universe beyond taste."

One of the brand's most charming stories is its contribution to the production process. In Jalisco, a western Mexican state fringing the Pacific Ocean, often called the cradle of tequila, distilleries traditionally play music - Bach to boleros - to set the mood during fermentation. For Loca Loka's early small-batch runs, the team curated a playlist of Ravichander's favourite tracks. "It doesn't alter the chemistry," he says, "but the energy of the room becomes part of what you're tasting."

For him, the brand resonates because it balances heritage with modernity - "bold without being loud, refined without being distant."

His vision for connecting with young India is clear: "India's young consumers don't just buy products anymore. They buy into cultures, emotions, and moments."

Expect limited-edition drops, immersive pop-ups, cross-artist collaborations, and experiences that blur the line between nightlife, creativity, and community.

Interestingly, the brand arrives at a time of shifting drinker behaviour, premiumisation, cocktail culture, global palates, storytelling-driven brands, and a young population hungry for quality and experience. "With that, you either win or learn… You never lose," Vadlamudi signs off.