¡Tequio!

Midwest roots turned into West Coast success for this beverage-making duo

By Nick Cooper | Nov. 29, 2025

More than two decades ago, Louis-Pascal Walsh and Frederick “Flick” Mooradian met as children, and they have been nearly inseparable since. Fast-forward 20 years, and the Harbor Springs natives’ entrepreneurial dreams have come to reality as their tequila seltzer drink Tequio has found popularity in California and earned five-star ratings throughout the United States.

“Flick and I have a unique relationship. Our parents are very close friends, so we spent a lot of time together. We are very much matched in different ways. Both as friends and businessmen,” says Walsh.

In 2019, the idea for Tequio was born. The name Tequio comes from the Nahuatl words “tequitl” (tribute) and “tequitiliztli” (work). The term is used to refer to the collective work done within and for the community. Along those lines, Walsh and Mooradian had talked about creating a healthier beverage that rivaled what currently existed in the market, but it was hard to fit in the dream alongside their day jobs. Then COVID arrived.

“Louis worked in the film industry, and I worked in finance. During COVID I went remote and Louis had no work, so we went back to Harbor Springs. [We] spent the summer trying to come up with a better-for-you alcohol,” says Mooradian.

And they did.

All in on Agave

Tequio is seen as a healthier alternative as it uses purer ingredients than other competitors in the seltzer market and has just 100 calories.

“It was right after the hard seltzer boom of White Claw,” says Mooradian of Tequio’s inception. “Then High Noon started to take off a little bit, and nobody was doing a tequila seltzer. So we looked into a little bit of the white space and found out that a lot of tequila seltzers on the market were using something called mixto tequila, which is cut with fermented sugars and can be up to 49 percent sugar.”

Walsh and Moorandian’s tequila seltzer cut out that high fructose corn syrup, sugar, or cane sugar using only 100 percent pure agave sourced from Guillermo Bañuelos’ family in Jalisco, Mexico.

“We found the Bañuelos family, who is our partner now, and they have an existing tequila brand. We licensed their brand for all of our cocktails. With us it was the bar quality experience. If you can get high-end tequila with sparkling water at the bar, why is it that if you wanted it in a can it has to be loaded with sugar and fruit flavors?” says Mooradian.

How the Tequio Gets Made

In Mexico, at the Bañuelos family farm agave is chosen and cut at six to eight years of maturity. Once the plant is cut, the heart of the plant is removed. The agave hearts are then boiled to ensure that the grinding process both goes smoothly and preserves the flavor that Blanco and Reposado tequilas are known for. The agave juice, called mosto once it is added into fermentation units, is then combined with yeast to begin the fermentation process.

Tequio offers two distinct flavors. The Blanco is described as having a “light and refreshing flavor” that is “effortlessly smooth with a touch of floral and citrus.” The Reposado is a bit more complex, with “sweet fruit and subtle oaky undertones.”

Blanco uses tequila that has been aged up to two months, while the Reposado is aged between two months to a year.

Upon the completion of fermentation, the liquid is then placed into American and French oak barrels and aged up for at least two months. At the conclusion of the aging process, the tequila is then shipped to California where it is then combined with sparkling water and lime juice to give Tequio its signature flavor. The final product is then delivered to Tequio and driven to the canning facility.

“The cool thing about the whole process is that it takes place in this very small ecosystem. Everything is within a 15- [or] 20-minute drive. We can literally be in every one of those spots in one day,” says Walsh.

From the Basement to Whole Foods

After years of warm summer days in Michigan, Walsh and Mooradian now find themselves running a highly successful company in the Golden State. Today, Tequio can be found in more than 30 Whole Foods stores across California. The beverage has also led them to multiple connections and partnerships with companies around the U.S.

“The brand is a vessel for the community in a lot of ways,” says Walsh. “Flick and I this summer rode motorcycles from Los Angeles to New York City. We drove through Michigan, through the Upper Peninsula and down on our way to New York. The motorcycles from BMW, new models they were releasing, [were our] sales vehicles and we drove around and dropped off our product.”

The partnerships that Mooradian and Walsh have made are not the only things that make the Tequio owners proud. They cite early customer interaction as some of their fondest memories.

“When you have people try similar competitive products at the same time, that differentiation, that feedback initially was like, ‘maybe it’s not just the both of us in the basement,’” says Walsh.

Tequio Comes to Michigan

Good news for tequila drinkers: You can find Tequio close to come, and the duo soon plans on having a larger footprint in the Wolverine State.

“Because we live in SoCal this is a great market with 14 million people in Los Angeles to target,” says Mooradian. “Michigan, the Midwest roots, we’re excited to go back and tell the story and share it there.”

Here’s where to find Tequio now:

Harbor Springs: Otis Harbor Springs, IGA Deli, Gurney’s Harbor Bottle Shop, Turkey’s, Pierson’s Grille & Spirits

Petoskey: Toski Sands Market & Wine Shop, Petoskey – Bay View Country Club, Symons General Store & Wine Cellar, The Back Lot Beer Garden