Olujo: the bottle is the strategy
This tequila brand has committed to craft at a level that's hard to compete with
This is an excerpt from our 2026 Report: The New Rules of Brand Building in Bev/Alc. It’s our most comprehensive look at the industry yet. And it’s free to download HERE.
“It’s definitely striking,” says Jeffery Fowler, CEO of Olujo. He’s talking, obviously, about the incredible sculptural ceramic that holds the brand’s blue agave tequila. Brand strategy can be a lot of things: storytelling, messaging, positioning, visuals... for Olujo, brand strategy is the bottle.
“Whether it’s just standing alone or whether it’s actually standing amidst other bottles behind the bar, it really does stand out,” says Jeffery. “This is obviously, of course, very, very intentional.”
How do you stand out in an extremely competitive, saturated tequila market?
Simple: you do the exact opposite of what every other brand is doing with their packaging. Instead of glass you choose ceramic; instead of the traditional shape, you commission something completely unexpected; and instead of selling people a bottle that they throw away once it’s empty, you create an object that becomes a keepsake.
A “future heirloom,” as Jeffery describes it.
Something sculptural, something otherworldly
The brief for Olujo’s bottle was singular: “something sculptural, something otherworldly.” The brand needed an object that was steeped in high craft, to reflect the artisanal nature of the tequila (and its premium price tag).
And that story of craft goes all the way down. First, the bottle is designed by Ivan Venkov, a sculptor and designer who’s worked with a long list of premium brands.
Then, it’s made by Anfora, a partner in Mexico that has a century-long heritage of producing ceramics. And finally, its grainy, tactile texture is replicated on the surface of every single business card Olujo team members hand out.
“It’s something of beauty, and something that’s deeply connected to the earth,” says Jeffery.
The pursuit of craft
The bottle is Olujo’s calling card. It’s the symbol that signifies: we’re a brand that really cares about how things are made. Some tequila brands lean into lineage or family heritage as their selling point. For Olujo, the focus has always been one thing: craft. Everything about the brand has to come back to that, whether it’s the cultivation and harvesting — focusing on the most mature, high quality agave — through to the way the agave is cooked. And craft isn’t easy.
“It’s pursuing each stage of the value chain and really trying not to cut corners, not to find a cheaper or more efficient way of doing it,” says Jeffery.
Being dedicated to craft, when you’re a bev/alc brand, doesn’t just mean the bottle and the liquid, of course. It’s how you show up in the wider world. Olujo is also forging connections with the world of “beautiful objects” — for example, hosting a dinner at Art Basel Miami, and inviting artists, gallerists and curators that all value craft.
Price can be a strategy
Olujo is working at a much higher price point than most other tequila brands – $500 for a bottle, as opposed to the $30 to $100 range. According to Jeffery, this was a conscious decision to tap into a part of the market that’s a little less busy, and a little less competitive.
“I think maybe in that space it can be easier to defend and lay claim to why you’re there, and what it is about your product that helps it stand out,” he explains.
That high price point is also part of the story. People scanning a menu are going to find their eyes snagging on the dollar sign. They might splash out on that. Or they might ask the bartender or server to tell them a bit more of the story. As Jeffery says: “If that can create the opportunity for them to learn about us and understand who we are and what we do... then hopefully we earn ourselves a new customer through the process.”
Do less, do more
It’s not just the high price tag or the beautiful packaging that sets Olujo apart. The brand has remained purposefully aloof; it’s not available everywhere, and that’s by design. They initially launched in just two states, and are currently only available in the US. They’ve over-emphasized on-premise, because the bottle needs to be seen “in the wild”. “We want to build this brand in an experiential way,” says Jeffery.
It’s also not all over social media. They haven’t put any paid social behind the business, and are relying solely on organic for the time being. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a strategy, however — Olujo posts a note of acknowledgement for every single partner that puts the bottle behind their bar. It’s a very simple expression of gratitude, but it has the magical knock-on effect of getting other restaurants in town interested.
“The easiest thing in the world to do within social media is to try and shortcut it,” says Jeffery. “It’s to spend a bunch of money on advertising to try and target the right audiences and the right people. That can work. But it can also be very inefficient, especially too early on in a brand when you haven’t established your foothold.”
Olujo is a tequila brand that’s beautiful, that’s expensive, that’s exclusive and that revels in all of those things. It’s a reminder that the best brands are unapologetically single-minded about what they’re doing.
NEW RULES FROM OLUJO
Packaging can be a strategy
Don’t underestimate the seductive power of a beautiful bottle – it still works.
Find your angle and laser in on it
If craft is the thing you do best, make everything about that. Be joyfully single-minded.
Be a contrarian
If everyone is going low-, no- and affordable, swing the other way.
The New Rules is a labor of love by nihilo.agency
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