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By Irving Mejia-Hilario | Dallas Morning News
Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott is going from dropping in passes to his receivers on the field to dropping shots in glasses with his latest investment.
Prescott and Dallas-based Zamora Company USA are planning to launch an ultra-premium tequila brand, Tequila VOLTEO, later this year.
Though Zamora couldn’t say how much Prescott has invested over his two years with the brand, locking down an athlete like him is no small feat for the American arm of the company behind popular brands like Licor 43, Yellow Rose Whiskey and more, said Matt Appleby, CEO of Zamora Company USA.
“Dak Prescott isn’t only a remarkable athlete and a role model to others, he has a sharp mind for business and marketing, and he doesn’t invest in a project unless he completely and truly believes in it,” he said.
Prescott already boasts one of the strongest portfolios of any football player, according to Forbes. He’s earned $15 million from his partnerships and endorsements with companies like AT&T, DirecTV, Frito-Lay, Nike and 7-Eleven. His business ventures were enough to notch him at 46th on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes in 2023.
Prescott, the NFL’s leader in touchdown passes in 2023, has also invested in other businesses like Plano-based fitness startup OxeFit and has a 20% stake in Baton Rouge-based sports grill and bar Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux.
While Prescott is an investor only in the Tequila VOLTEO brand and not the rest of Zamora, Appleby said he’s hoping a mutual love for tequila will inspire Prescott to play an active role in the company’s business-to-business operations in the future.
For Tequila VOLTEO, part of its marketing will revolve around the spirit giving customers a unique and healthier experience, Appleby said.
“As an athlete, he’s very thoughtful about what he eats and drinks, which is why Tequila VOLTEO is a clean and natural additive-free and organic tequila,” Appleby said.
Zamora said it has been working with Destileria Casa De Piedra in Jalisco, Mexico, to develop the blanco, reposado and cristalino options the company will offer for Tequila VOLTEO. The blanco option is tequila in its purest form, according to drink company PaQuí Tequila. Blanco tequila is typically unaged or only aged for about two months, making it good for mixing drinks.
Reposado tequilas are typically aged two months to a year, while cristalino tequilas are aged a little longer. Cristalino’s selling point comes from the drink being filtered through charcoal, which strips the color from the drink without removing flavors and textures, according to Liquor.com.
Zamora is hoping to launch Tequila VOLTEO in Texas by this summer before rolling it out nationally, Appleby said.
