After visiting the company’s founder and CEO Arturo Lomeli at his home in Guadalajara, Mexico last month, I’ve been feeling energized. And not just from the taquitos and pozole we ate for lunch (though I have not stopped thinking about that meal). While staunchly remaining independent and committing to staying 100% Mexican-owned, Clase Azul has become quite the business over the past three decades—despite its structure being a rarity today. 

And now the poetic Lomeli is starting to translate that powerful brand into what he envisions could be Mexico’s first luxury house, with visions extending beyond tequila to ceramics, hotels and more. It’s a big dream, but Lomeli may be the only entrepreneur positioned to do it entirely authentically. 

“We control for longevity,” Lomeli told me during my three-plus hours spent interviewing, eating, sampling tequila and checking out his hyperbaric oxygen chamber. “If you don’t face the fear, you’re not going to evolve yourself.”

Another highlight from our time together that has stuck with me: “Most successful people are not the ones who have more money,” he said. “They are the ones who have enough. So the question is, when is enough?”

I hope you enjoy reading this story, as well as everything this season has to offer. I’m wishing you a happy end to your year—with plenty of rest! See you in January!