The spirit of living in the moment

 

Lisa Elovich, right, the owner and founder of the One With Life brand of organic tequila, is joined by Joyce Perry, director of Whispering Willow Wild Care, and the barred owl Ophelia at an event held in November at All Star Wine & Spirits in Latham, N.Y. Joan K. Lentini photo

 

By STACEY MORRIS
Contributing writer

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.

Lisa Elovich started her own business nine years ago with 80 cases of organic tequila and a dream.

Now, in a day’s work for the owner of a boutique tequila company, there are tastings at area liquor emporiums, orders to fill for restaurants throughout the state, charity events to book, and progress checks to make at the organic farm in Mexico where the crucial ingredient for her product is grown.

Elovich left behind a high-powered legal career that included serving as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and later as an administrative law judge for the state Office of Children and Family Services.

But she took her change in profession as an invigorating challenge rather than an anxiety-inducing leap into the unknown. She says she had the confidence to become an entrepreneur mainly because she believed wholeheartedly in her product and its intent — a philosophy she said is reflected in the business name: One With Life.

“I feel like today’s consumers are smarter when it comes to celebratory drinking,” Elovich said. “There’s more of a balance nowadays: They like to sip on a good tequila rather than shoot it back to get drunk. Enjoying a good tequila to have fun is part of a balanced approach to life.”
The company name, she added, reflects her philosophy of “staying in the present moment and enjoying it.”

Although One With Life is headquartered in Saratoga Springs, Elovich said that, by law, the agave plants she relies upon must be grown in Mexico for her to call her product tequila.
Because it was important to her to offer a small-batch organic product, Elovich chose to partner with the third-generation organic agave farm, Tequila Las Americas, which grows its 100 percent blue agave in Jalisco, a Mexican state on the country’s Pacific coast. The area is known for having good well water and volcanic, nutrient-rich soil, she said.

Elovich visits Mexico several times a year to check on the progress of the agave crop as well as distillery operations there.

“The best part of owning this company is meeting with the farmers and producers and seeing how much care goes into the growing and distilling process,” she said. “Agave plants must grow for at least seven years before they’re ready for harvesting to use in tequila.”

One With Life offers three varieties of tequila — blanco, reposado and anejo — which each reflect varying degrees of aging and range from $42 to $70 per bottle. They are sold throughout New York, Florida, Connecticut and online.

“Blanco is right out of the ground, while our reposado is aged 9 months in American oak, and the anejo 18 months.” Elovich explained.

She credits her team of brand ambassadors for the company’s 200-plus accounts at liquor stores and restaurants.

“They’ve helped me grow the brand in a grassroots kind of way by developing relationships with accounts and becoming a part of the community,” she said. “A lot of people discover us through our tastings at liquor outlets and also charity events.”

 

Supporting care of owls
The One With Life logo features a majestic rendition of the tree of life — with an owl perched in it, keeping watch — plus the slogan “99% peaceful, 1% wild.”

For Elovich, the owl in her logo is more than just a symbol of wisdom. It also represents the focus of One With Life’s sister charity, Whispering Willow Wild Care, which offers rehabilitation for birds of prey and other wildlife as well as community educational services.

Joyce Perry, the executive director of the Schenectady-based nonprofit, regularly partners with Elovich at liquor stores and outdoor venues for hybrid events that combine tequila tasting with educational sessions that feature an array of birds. The cast for these events includes an owl, hawk, raven and a talking crow.

“People love meeting the birds,” Perry said
While Elovich serves mini-cocktails and shots of her product, Perry offers a presentation on the mission of Whispering Willow, which offers nearly 100 programs annually at schools, libraries, nursing homes and festivals in addition to rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife.
“It’s a win-win for the people attending, because they get a tasting and learn more about birds,” Perry said.

She added with a laugh, “Lisa’s tequila is excellent – I never drive to these events.”
Perry said the collaboration began when one of her volunteers approached Elovich six years ago after noticing the acronym in the company’s name.

“Teaming with One With Life has definitely spread more awareness about our mission,” she said.

 

Links to local foods
Another aspect of Elovich’s community outreach and relationship building involved partnering with local food purveyors.

“We have a strong appeal upstate and like to collaborate with local producers of organic products to pair with our tequila,” Elovich explained.

So at tastings and events, One With Life uses locally grown fruits and herbs as well as mixers such as the lavender lemonade made by Slate Valley Farms of Granville.

Elovich proudly noted that One With Life recently earned a 94-point rating from Wine Enthusiast magazine as well as a gold medal from Tequila Aficionado magazine.

“And our bottles appeared in two motion pictures, ‘Don’t Look Up’ and ‘Instant Family,’” she added. “It definitely brought us some street cred.”

John Brophy, a wine consultant at Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor in Saratoga Springs, said One With Life Tequila has become a favorite amongst his customers.

“A lot of people pay attention nowadays to what goes into their wine and spirits, and I think the fact that it’s an organic tequila helps a lot,” he said. “It’s a really quality product at a competitive price, and the fact that it’s a local company is a plus for our customers.”

One With Life has also gained devoted fans from farther afield. Janice and Bill Lozano, who live in Ulster County, regularly make the drive north for what has become their favorite brand of tequila.

“We’ve always enjoyed tequila, but One With Life takes it to a different level with its clean taste,” Janice Lozano said. “There’s a definite difference from other brands who add flavorings and colorings. We drive to Heller’s Wine & Liquor store in West Sand Lake because we like supporting a mom-and-pop liquor store as well as a woman-owned business. We’ve met Lisa at tastings and love her approach to life.”

With her company’s 10th anniversary on the horizon, Elovich said she couldn’t be happier in her new career.

“It’s important to follow your passion and not be too identified with any one thing,” she said. “I was a lawyer for 28 years and had a lot of different roles within the legal profession. My last 10 years I served on a parole board, and it was very dark and heart wrenching. I wanted to try something new, and tequila came to mind because I’ve always associated it with joy and laughter.”

Now that she’s found her own sense of joy, Elovich’s mission is to impart it to others.
“The idea behind my tequila is very celebratory and about spreading kindness,” she said. “People tend to look at tequila as something wild. I see it as a chance to connect with the part of us that can let our guards down, not take life too seriously, and be joyful.”

 

Visit www.onewithlifetequila.com for more information about One With Life Tequila and its upcoming tastings and events.