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10 Things You Didn't Know about Cabo Wabo Tequila

Cabo Wabo Tequila

Cabo Wabo is the name of a company founded by Sammy Hagar. It wasn't a single unit but rather a collection of units, which included Cabo Wabo tequila once upon a time. Having said that, it is important to note that it has long since been sold.

1. Can Trace Its Roots to Cabo San Lucas

The whole thing started out in Cabo San Lucas, which can be found at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula in Northwestern Mexico. There are a lot of people who should be familiar with it under either that name or the nickname of Cabo because it is one of the most popular tourist destinations that can be found in the whole of that country.

2. Can Trace Its Roots to When Cabo San Lucas Was Much Less Developed

As the story goes, Hagar became interested in Cabo San Lucas in the early 1980s, which were a time when the city was much less developed than it is now. To name an example, when he booked a stay at a luxury resort, most of the roads from the international airport to the luxury resort were still dirt roads. Regardless, Hagar became very fond of the place, thus paving the way for his founding of Cabo Wabo.

3. Can Trace Its Roots to When Tequila Was Much Less Popular with Americans

Speaking of which, the early 1980s were also a time when tequila was much less popular with Americans. For context, tequila had been known to Americans for quite some time, which is perhaps unsurprising when it is produced right over the border in Mexico. However, there have been both ups and downs in its popularity in the United States. The 1980s were when Americans became familiar with premium tequila, which brought about a noticeable change in how the liquor was perceived. As a result, it is no exaggeration to say that played a part in turning the United States into the single biggest consumer of tequila in the entire world in modern times.

4. Hagar Became Interested in Tequila While Visiting Tequila

Hagar became interested in tequila when he visited the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco. Unsurprisingly, tequila is named for the town, which is supposed to be the place where that particular kind of mezcal was created. Even now, most tequila production happens in Jalisco. There are a limited number of places in four other states that are allowed to make the stuff as well. However, the overwhelming majority of tequila continues to come from Jalisco.

5. Cabo Wabo Means "Cabo Wobble"

Some people might be curious about the origins of Cabo Wabo. If so, they should know that the name is very straightforward. Cabo refers to Cabo San Lucas. Meanwhile, Wabo is short for "wobble." Essentially, Cabo Wabo is Hagar's term for how a person walks after they have drunk too much tequila in the city. Indeed, the man wrote a song about it in 1988.

6. Hagar Decided to Start Cabo Wabo Against Conventional Wisdom

Eventually, Hagar decided that he wanted to build a club in Cabo San Lucas, which was very much against conventional wisdom. Supposedly, his accountant at the time outright quit over the idea. Furthermore, his manager convinced him to convince his band-mates to get involved, which would enable him to cut down on his personal costs. Unsurprisingly, there were publications that took verbal shots at him at the time over what pretty much everyone considered to be a bad move. To be fair, they were right because it took Cabo Wabo some time to become successful, so much so that Hagar had to buy out his band-mates' ownership stakes.

7. Hagar Decided to Start Cabo Wabo Tequila Against Conventional Wisdom

Amusingly, Hagar also started Cabo Wabo tequila against conventional wisdom in the mid 1990s. This time around, people still thought it was a bad move. However, Hagar had become successful enough that they were much less willing to say what they were really thinking.

8. Can Be Considered One of the First Celebrity Tequilas

As such, Cabo Wabo tequila can be considered one of the first celebrity tequilas. After all, Hagar was well-known in his own right, meaning that it counted. Having said that, he is less than enthused by the term, perhaps because celebrity tequilas are sometimes seen in a negative light. This is because a lot of them seem to be more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. Meanwhile, Hagar seems to have had a genuine interest in tequila.

9. Turned Down the Idea of Doing Other Celebrity Liquors

Indeed, Hagar says that when Cabo Wabo tequila had become successful, one of his business partners suggested that they do other celebrity liquors before the trend really got going in more recent times. He claims that he found the idea to be insulting, not least because the business partner's statement on the matter implied that Cabo Wabo tequila was a celebrity liquor.

10. No Longer Owned By Hagar

It is important to note that Cabo Wabo tequila is no longer owned by Hagar. In short, Gruppo Campari bought an 80 percent ownership stake in exchange for $80 million in 2008, which came with a clause stating that it could buy the remaining 20 percent ownership stake at a later point in time if it wanted to. As it turned out, it wanted to, with the result that it bought the remainder for $11 million in 2010. Since then, Hagar has continued to be involved with tequila in various ways. Meanwhile, the Cabo Wabo tequila that exists in the present has seen considerable changes from the Cabo Wabo tequila that existed in the past. Something that interested individuals might want to keep in mind.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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