LVMH Spirits Vet Trent Fraser Enters Tequila Industry With Volcan De Mi Tierra

Photo Credit: LVMH

Trent Fraser has been integrated into the spirits industry for over a decade working at the highest levels of the prestigious LVMH Group. Coming from the iconic champagne brand Dom Pérignon, Fraser learned the depths of the wine industry as the brand’s vice president for nine years. But most recently, Fraser has taken his talents to another spirit, which has been on the rise in recent years: tequila—more specifically, LVMH’s newest tequila—Volcan De Mi Tierra. After spending many years as a secret tequila lover, Fraser can now explore his passion in the industry, revolutionizing. Here, Haute Living catches up with the executive to find out the scoop on the newest spirit in the LVMH family.

HL: For two and a half years, Moët Hennessy secretly developed its first-ever tequila. Tell us the story.

TF: This was several years in the making for us, with significant analysis and research into the category. We obviously have the most incredible lineup of brands, but we do have a few category opportunities, and tequila was one of them and the most complementary. The super-premium tequila category has been exploding for nearly a decade now but still has much more room for growth and was a major catalyst for Volcan’s introduction. Volcan De Mi Tierra means “land of the Volcano.” There is a very large and prominent volcano in the region of Tequila that is in fact called “Tequila Volcano.” When it erupted hundreds of thousands of years ago, it shaped the entire terrain and topography of this region. Our blue agave grows in volcanic rock and soil. Bringing our story back to the land and terroir of this unique region, not only do we pay homage to this mystical power, but we celebrate the influence it has had on the land, region and community of Jalisco [Mexico].

HL: What is your role at Volcan?

 TF: As president of Volcan De Mi Tierra I pretty much oversee everything. Of course, the natural branding, strategy and commercial responsibilities fall under my domain, but also the operational and functional needs at our distillery. Many ask what does a usual day consists of for me, and to be honest, it’s incredibly diverse and unpredictable. For me, it’s exciting, as quite often I’m dealing with sales and launching the brand, then it might be discussing how we are drilling for water, agave farming and sourcing as well as deciding what Instagram image to post. It’s very dynamic, which I love.

Photo Credit: LVMH

HL: How does Volcan stand out from its competitors? What makes it special?

TF:  We have been meticulous in our product development as we really want to show people what tequila is really capable of. For me, there are three points of our uniqueness: 1) Our brand promise and story around Tequila Volcano and bringing everything back to the land and terroir; 2) We have utilized both the old-world methods while infusing new innovations to get the best out of the tequila-making process; 3) Adopting the philosophy of assemblage, blending the very best of the lowlands agave, which is austere, stronger and more herbaceous flavors, with the highlands that offer more citrus, floral and elegant notes. A stunning, balanced and complex tequila is what I think makes us special.

HL: How has partnering with LVMH-Moët Hennessy increased your brand’s awareness?

TF:  Of course, the association to LVMH has been tremendous in terms of our immediate visibility and awareness. However, what’s truly remarkable to be part of the family is not just because of their prestige and resource, but because of their spirit to support something so entrepreneurial. The most important pillar of Volcan’s development is that it has been built with an entrepreneurial spirit. It has been formulated by a joint venture between Moët Hennessy and Mexico’s Gallardo family with a true start-up and incubation mentality. It is a smaller, more nimble and dynamic structure that has and will be built from the ground up. At the core, it will behave small and family like while leveraging the strength and resource of MH where applicable.

HL: Tell us the goals of the brand in the near future.

 TF: Only as of a few months ago Volcan has launched in a few key select markets in both the U.S. and Mexico first. It will be focused on select key cities, with a very precise target list of on-premise accounts to build influence with both trade and consumer. It is an allocated item focused on bar, mixology, lounge, hotel and dining outlets. We are starting quite small and highly focused to get these core geographies right before expanding to more markets. As we are brand-new we have a ton of work to do in terms of sharing our story as well as education, which is a huge focus for us in the near term. There are two product offerings: Blanco and Cristalino [clear-aged añejo]. Despite not being so much in retail, if it were on the shelf the Blanco would be $44.99 and the Cristalino at $64.99.