In Jalisco where El Bandido Yankee tequila is made, sits a beautiful church in the zocalo, or town square. Like most Mexican communities in Jalisco, the square hums with activity. This particular church, the San Antonio de Padua Parish, is a vibrant and popular hub — and is also where we drew inspiration for our first community outreach program in Jalisco.
Our team from El Bandido first learned of the church, located in the town of San Antonio de Fernandez, during a visit to Jalisco with Lou Bank. Lou is a kindred bandido spirit and founder of not-for-profit S.A.C.R.E.D., whose mission is to improve the lives of people in rural Mexican communities where agave is made. We’re so pleased to partner with S.A.C.R.E.D. and we’ve committed a portion of net proceeds from our tequila sales, as well as 100% of net proceeds from our merchandise sales, to support its vital work.
During our visit, we met with local residents and the church’s leader, Father Saul, to find out more about community needs. The consensus was that the area’s youth would benefit from having a rejuvenated recreational soccer facility in town. A grassroots effort took hold.
“The new soccer complex is really about honoring everyone’s potential and creating a welcoming environment,” said Lou Bank. “Parents in the community envisioned a thoughtfully designed space where children and young adults can enjoy fresh air, exercise and connect with friends in a healthy, safe setting.”
El Bandido Yankee and S.A.C.R.E.D. are partnering with the local church to bring the vision to life. The rejuvenated soccer complex will include a new natural grass field, goal posts and nets, soccer equipment and other upgrades.
“Supporting the people, land and culture is our priority,” said Jim Bob Morris, El Bandido Yankee Founder. “We’re thrilled to launch this first of many programs in Jalisco, and the center will be an ongoing, long-term effort.”
We partnered with S.A.C.R.E.D., which stands for Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education, and Development, before we officially launched our first two tequilas — recognizing and appreciating Lou’s passion for both agave spirits and the people working and living in Jalisco. Since its inception, S.A.C.R.E.D. has initiated multiple projects to help small rural communities, including addressing issues of hunger relief, water insecurity, earthquake relief and agave replanting.
“The making of tequila spirits is deeply tied to the Mexican rural communities where agave is grown, harvested and then shared with the world,” said Chris Chelios, El Bandido Yankee Founder. “When we launched this company, our goal was to create authentic tequila and to build a company with values in keeping with all of our other endeavors. Jim Bob and I are big believers in giving back and giving boldly.”
“We’re excited to see where else this partnership with S.A.C.R.E.D takes us and we’re committed to listening, learning and going all in wherever we can help,” added Chris.
For our bandido brigade, that means every bandido bottle you buy or merch you purchase is contributing toward our efforts in Jalisco.
