CRAINSCLEVELAND.COM I SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
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PHOTOS BY JASON MILLER/PIXELATE
Cleveland is blessed with big talent. Look no further than members of this year’s class of Crain’s Cleveland 20 In Their 20s, who range from a young entrepreneur determined to solve a huge environmental problem to an astronomer searching the skies at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. PAGE 8
VC firm brings tequila to Ohio Startup brand expands distribution, adds office space in Cleveland By Jeremy Nobile
A young Cleveland venture firm is behind the launch in the Ohio marketplace of a startup tequila brand whose spirits are cooked and fermented for nearly 100 hours to the sounds of classical music and placed in handblown glass bottles. La Caza Tequila, made by La Caza Spirits of Austin, Texas, recently announced that it has expanded distribution to the Buckeye State through a partnership with Heidelberg Distributing Co. The product, rolled out in May, is also available in its home state and Florida currently; additional expansion efforts are in the works. The spirit is available in blanco, reposado and añejo varieties. In conjunction with its Ohio debut, La Caza announced it has also taken up warehouse and office space on Lakeside Avenue near Cleveland’s Asiatown. But why would an unknown tequila brand from the South plant a flag in Northeast Ohio? That’s where La Caza Chief Marketing Officer Andy Tran comes in. Tran is the managing partner for Arthur Street Ventures, a sort of hybrid operation blending aspects of venture and private-equity business models. “Being a venture studio, we help build value in companies and operate brands in the portfolio,” Tran said. “Yes, we invest. But we become part of the management team and get into the weeds with the founding teams over three to five years.” See TEQUILA on Page 30
VOL. 44, NO. 34 l COPYRIGHT 2023 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE This year’s fall arts season in Northeast Ohio is stacked. Whatever your taste, there’s something to meet it. PAGE 20
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