Sofia Deleon has launched her own rum, Tenango, after being inspired by her great-grandmother.

A Philadelphia entrepreneur has taken her great-grandmother’s legacy of making moonshine and created her own rum company.

Sofia Deleon, of El Merkury restaurants, just launched Tenango Rum earlier this year. Born and raised in Guatamala City before coming to the United States in 2012, Deleon always heard stories about her great-grandmother in the 1920s. “My tatarabuela used to make cusha, which is a Guatamalan version of moonshine that’s made with corn and sugarcane,” Deleon says. “I thought it was very inspiring, and it led me to follow in her footsteps.”

So Deleon says she decided that for her next entrepreneurial venture, she decided to investigate rum. “Growing up in Guatamala, I saw a disconnect between how Americans see rum and how the rest of the world sees rum,” Deleon says. “Most Americans associate with super sweet, hangover-prone tiki drinks that come with an umbrella that they’re most likely drinking on vacation.”

But rum, she says, can be so much, much more. “I want to reshape that perception of rum,” Deleon says.

Tenango is a 100 percent, single source rum, and it is crafted at a Guatamalan distillery. Made with grade A molasses on a column still using a traditional, Spanish method, it is aged in American white oak barrels.

The depth of the flavor, she says, distinguishes it from other rums, but its packaging is also distinctive.

“When I went back home and embarked on this rum journey, I wanted my product to extend beyond a great liquid,” Deleon says. “My larger goal was to give back and represent Guatemala in the best way.”

“To me, nothing says Guatemala more than the colorful weavings found all over the country so I thought ‘How can I best incorporate them in my bottle?’” she adds.

Driven by this thought, Deleon mobilized a cooperative of Mayan ladies, who manually make each cover for every bottle. “Observing a label that says ‘handmade,’ is one thing but to actually see it being weaved on a foot loom is truly enchanting,” she states. “The first time I saw the process first-hand, I was determined to keep this art form alive through my product.”

Deleon’s connection to one of these women transpired through her father, a resident of Guatemala. “He succeeded in establishing the needed trust for this project to flourish,” she narrates.

Subsequently, Deleon collaborated with a local designer renowned for his work with conventional tejidos or Guatemalan fabric. “We certainly went through numerous iterations prior to achieving the perfect fit for the bottle,” she gives voice to her experience.

Deleon expresses her fondness for enjoying Tenango pure, especially during her post-work relaxation, but also loves it in cocktails. “At a restaurant, I’m particularly excited to taste the various spirit-forward recipes crafted by bartenders,” she shares. “The Carajillo happens to be one of my favorites for dessert as the coffee tones beautifully complement those of the rum.”

Currently being distributed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Tenango, priced at $49.99 per bottle, has future expansion plans as per Deleon. “My intention behind creating Tenango was similar to El Merkury. I wanted a superior representation of Guatemala, an exceptional place with abundant offerings, which is often negatively portrayed in the media,” she conveys.