Don Francisco Javier Sauza
Encyclopedia
Don Francisco Javier Sauza (December 8, 1903 – June 21, 1990) ran the Sauza Tequila
business from 1946 until leading Mexican brandy
producer Pedro Domecq purchased it in 1988.
, Mexico
on December 8, 1903 to Don Eladio Sauza
(1883 – 1946) and Doña Silveria Mora Enriquez. His grandfather, Don Cenobio
, was the founder of the Sauza Tequila
distillery.
, Illinois
.
They had two children:
from a drink of the campesinos to a refined spirit of the upper classes. His competitors scoffed when he redesigned the bottles and labels for a more tasteful look and began to age some of the tequila in wooden barrels for a smoother taste and color.
He took his product to fairs and expositions throughout Mexico, the United States, and Europe and promoted it as “the drink of romance.” He modernized production and transportation systems and built a bottling plant in Guadalajara
.
In 1950 Francisco Javier added the Sauza Hornitos brand to the Sauza family of tequila. In 1963 he created Sauza Conmemorativo, a tequila that commemorated the 90th anniversary of the La Perseverancia distillery.
In 1973, to celebrate 100 years since the founding of the La Perseverancia distillery, Sauza created a specially aged tequila that he presented in a limited edition, green ceramic bottle. He called his creation Tres Generaciones
in honor of the three generations that had produced Sauza Tequila: Don Cenobio, Don Eladio and Don Francisco Javier.
Traveling throughout Europe and Asia, Sauza became concerned about the number of “pseudo-tequilas” being produced. Working with other tequila producers from Jalisco
Francisco lobbied President Jose Lopez Portillo saying, “Tequila is only the one made in the State of Jalisco, Mexico.” On December 9, 1974 the Label of Integrity decree stated that true tequila only came from the State of Jalisco.
.
Francisco Javier Sauza died the evening of May 20, 1990 in Guadalajara.
Sauza Tequila
Sauza Tequila Import Company is a producer of tequila located in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It was founded in 1873 when Don Cenobio Sauza started La Perseverancia distillery. Sauza Tequila Import Company is owned by Beam Inc., headquartered in the Chicago suburb...
business from 1946 until leading Mexican brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
producer Pedro Domecq purchased it in 1988.
Early life
Francisco Javier Sauza was born in TecolotlanTecolotlán
Tecolotlán is a town and municipality, in Jalisco in central-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 795.55 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 14,984.-History:...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on December 8, 1903 to Don Eladio Sauza
Don Eladio Sauza
Don Eladio Sauza ran the Sauza Tequila business from 1909 to 1946.- Early life :Eladio Sauza was born June 16, 1883 in the city of Tequila, Mexico to Don Cenobio Sauza and Doña Margarita Madrigal Navarro...
(1883 – 1946) and Doña Silveria Mora Enriquez. His grandfather, Don Cenobio
Don Cenobio Sauza
Don Cenobio Sauza , known as the "Father of Tequila," was one of the earliest and longest lasting distillers of the tequila spirit – founding the Sauza Tequila distillery – La Perseverancia – in 1873....
, was the founder of the Sauza Tequila
Sauza Tequila
Sauza Tequila Import Company is a producer of tequila located in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It was founded in 1873 when Don Cenobio Sauza started La Perseverancia distillery. Sauza Tequila Import Company is owned by Beam Inc., headquartered in the Chicago suburb...
distillery.
Marriage and Children
In 1927 Francisco Javier married Doña Maria Elena “Nina” Gutierrez Salcedo, a cousin of the Cuervo family; they met while attending college in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
They had two children:
- Sylvia Sauza (born 1932)
- Eladio Sauza (born 1937)
Growing Sauza Tequila
When Javier Sauza took over Tequila Sauza, shortly before his father’s death in 1946, he began plans at once to change the image of tequilaTequila
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....
from a drink of the campesinos to a refined spirit of the upper classes. His competitors scoffed when he redesigned the bottles and labels for a more tasteful look and began to age some of the tequila in wooden barrels for a smoother taste and color.
He took his product to fairs and expositions throughout Mexico, the United States, and Europe and promoted it as “the drink of romance.” He modernized production and transportation systems and built a bottling plant in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
.
In 1950 Francisco Javier added the Sauza Hornitos brand to the Sauza family of tequila. In 1963 he created Sauza Conmemorativo, a tequila that commemorated the 90th anniversary of the La Perseverancia distillery.
In 1973, to celebrate 100 years since the founding of the La Perseverancia distillery, Sauza created a specially aged tequila that he presented in a limited edition, green ceramic bottle. He called his creation Tres Generaciones
Tres Generaciones
Tres Generaciones is an award-winning super-premium tequila produced in Tequila, a municipality of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. It was created in 1973 by Don Francisco Javier Sauza to honor the three successive generations of tequila makers of the Sauza family since 1873: Don Cenobio, Don...
in honor of the three generations that had produced Sauza Tequila: Don Cenobio, Don Eladio and Don Francisco Javier.
Traveling throughout Europe and Asia, Sauza became concerned about the number of “pseudo-tequilas” being produced. Working with other tequila producers from Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
Francisco lobbied President Jose Lopez Portillo saying, “Tequila is only the one made in the State of Jalisco, Mexico.” On December 9, 1974 the Label of Integrity decree stated that true tequila only came from the State of Jalisco.
Other Enterprises
Francisco Javier extended the entertaining work his father had done by founding a series of shows called “Noches Tapatias” which frequently featured folk singer Pedro VargasPedro Vargas
Pedro Vargas Mata was a Mexican singer and actor, from the golden age of Mexican cinema. He was known as the "Nightingale of the Americas".-Biography:...
.
The Final Years
Francisco Javier had continued his father and grandfather’s legacy, but in 1988, for personal reasons, he decided to sell the Sauza Tequila business to Mexican brandy producer Pedro Domecq. The tequilas Sauza innovated – Sauza, Hornitos, Tres Generaciones – are still in production. Today Sauza owns about 300 agave plantations and is the second largest tequila manufacturer in the world.Francisco Javier Sauza died the evening of May 20, 1990 in Guadalajara.