Meet Ben Molina | Restauranteur & Tequila Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Molina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think that risk is essential to growth, essential to success. To grow and flourish in life, whether it be emotional, professionally, spritually; you have to take risks. Risk, to me, is about taking what you have learned and the gifts you’ve been given in this life and putting it on the line to reach higher planes. Taking risks has been supremely important in my life. In order to build what we have built, I had to step off the clear path in my life and go for something new, because i felt in my bones that I had to go out and try something on my own to truly feel fulfilled. I never forget all the blessings that have allowed me to live this way. I’m blessed to be healthy, and to have parents who love me and have emotionally supported me every step of the way.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business consists of my tequila brand and 2 restaurants. It has been a long winding journey to get here. It’s been a journey of hard work, serendipity, and a little luck. I moved out to West Los Angeles in 2008 on a whim, just knowing in my heart that I had to try something different. Not even knowing what that would be, just knowing that it would be different. I started working in a bar so I could pay my rent while I planned my next move, and found that I really enjoyed the industry. They have always been a place to meet people, to get a feel for your neighborhood, to commune with people. For me personally, it really opened my eyes to the power of human connection, to finding sparks of joy throughout the day whether it be from an amazing meal, a well crafted drink, or a meaningful conversation (hopefully all 3!) I was lucky enough to work with some great people who turned into my business partners. Working behind the bar, the conversations would inevitably turn to, “we should open our own place!”. It seemed like the logical next step, and at the same time wildly unrealistic. But, after talking about it for long enough, and somehow convincing people that they should give us their money, we actually opened our own place. We call it Cinco because we are five bartenders who sealed their friendships behind the bar and at the Taco trucks after hours. It was incredibly difficult to get off the ground! None of us had ever done anything like this before, so things like budgets, how much money to raise, timelines, etc. all of those things were made up out of thin air, and then reality slowly poked holes in all of them. We were over budget, all of us completely broke, and long behind schedule. I honestly think that the naiveté that we had about what it would take was an asset. We thought it would be easier, so we weren’t so daunted! Through the support of our families, and a few us selling our most prized possesions, we were able to open the doors. The philosophy behind that place has always been to create a respite from the outside world, from the stresses of daily life. I believe in using postive energy and empathy as forces for good in this world, and I think this works on levels both grand and small. Sure, it’s just a restaurant, but I think that the energy that we put into the product that we put out, people feel that even on a subliminal level, and I’m proud that is what we do.

The next step in our journey felt like a natural move, and also much more risky and difficult. Through the restaurant, we connected with the Aceves family in Arandás, Jalisco. They are an amazing family of Tequila producers that have been proudly making tequila the right way for 20 years. We had an instant connection with the family, and we were able to create Angelisco Tequila as our house tequila at Cinco. There were challenges every step of the way, and we continually run into more challenges as we grow the brand from being the house tequila at Cinco to selling in 37 states and counting.

With the support of our families and the trust and the hard work that we have all invested, it continues to grow and we continue to learn more about business, more about the importance of believing in yourself and believing in your plan.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Im super proud of my restaurants, so that would be the first stop (we would probably go there multiple times)! Los Angeles is a really exciting city with so much to do and see. The first thing that drew me to the area was the beach, so weather permitting we would check out Matador beach. Long city bike rides are always fun, and a good friend of mine has created a few awesome rides, and we always try to end up at Jackson Market in Culver city, great sandwiches and a great wine and beer selection to unwind in their beautiful backyard area. I love live music, and so many great acts are constantly coming through here and playing at so many awesome venues. It’s great to see the bigger acts at an iconic place like the Hollywood bowl, but also to go to the smaller places like Gold Diggers. Arts district neighborhood is a must visit, between the clothes, the coffee, the restaurants, and bars you can easily spend an entire day checking out new things. I take all visitors to my favorite bookstore, Small World books on the Venice Boardwalk.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents, always, who are my Heroes. I have felt loved and respected and safe everyday of my life and that is because of them. Also, they have always supported all of my wild plans, and have let me know how proud they are of what I am trying to build. My wife is my rock, and has shown me what true love is. Too many books to name! Books have always been my beautiful friend, showing me the infinite possibilities of the human spirit.

Website: Angeliscotequila.com, Cincola.com, Themanchester.la

Instagram: @Angeliscotequila, @themanchesterla, @cincooaxacan

Other: Ben@angeliscotequila.com