It was a blustery evening in the middle of an industrial park somewhere in the south suburbs of Chicago. As of late, I’ve gone through some lengths to find “mi gente” out there making incredible strides in business, art, and entertainment. Yet, through some friendly connections and a Facebook post, I stumbled upon a GoFundMe page for a woman named Luz. The page was dedicated to her business, Juicy Luzy. Through a brief description, you had a sense that there was so much going on in the production of this business that there wasn’t much to say, but rather see- there was a need.

What I did know was that this was a hardworking Latina, aunt of a former coworker, creating a Sangria label from the ground up. I needed to get to know her. Luz Gavazos gave me a tour of her recently approved (in fact, same day) building to start production. It was clean and without a single stain or aroma of alcohol. That is how new it was. She told me (and visibly withheld much excitement) about the 4 years it took to finally put this 2 and a half-year-old purchase to use. She told me about the nearly endless discouragement she faced trying to put it all together, but how regardless of the work it took, she was shown many open doors and helpful support from her family and friends.

Luz’s sangria came from much at-home experimentation during family functions. All family members contributed to the many ingredients and ideas that would later turn into the now 5 original flavors that currently make up the Juicy Luzy brand. It wasn’t until members of her family would begin to encourage her to do something with her talent. “I started first with our traditional Ruby Red. My cousin Louie was over and we started to play around with juices and other white wines, and we created a Pear flavor.” Yet, the doubt to start something lingered, “I would say that I just didn’t have the money for it, but little by little we started to put it together,” says Luz of the first months of inception. Her other flavors took much time and intoxicated evenings with family, dreaming up other mixes and are now awaiting approval for their Raspberry Lemonade flavor.

“We went to Loyola University, (after we were on their waiting list) they helped us with our business plan and made sure our paperwork looked good. They made sure all the applications we sent were correct, they certainly made sure the process was going smoothly.” To my surprise several colleges offer this kind of assistance for small businesses, and in congruence it allows hands on opportunities for students on the many details that make up a functioning business. Not only were they helpful with advice and paperwork, they were able to give Luz and her family additional connections such as a lender and a contractor to get the property to standard.

“Its crazy because I think about it now, all those sleepless nights, all those times wondering; just trying to get somebody to say ‘okay this is done’.” Luz relays how most of what was accomplished was learned as she went through the process. From submitting her recipes and getting approval from the government on the ingredients she uses, getting various licenses and permits for both business and alcohol distribution, submitting front and back labels, bonds, insurance, etc. “This is stuff that we learned as we went, we researched a lot. We had no idea what we were doing.” After explaining to me the many governmental and technical categories and licenses of various ingredients, it began to sound overwhelming and maybe even daunting. Yet, the knowledge that was curated and molded ultimately allowed her to grow thicker skin in the process.

I asked if she had doubts during this time, “I would say like 100 times or more that I wanted to give up. The worst part was the waiting; running into roadblocks (mostly with men) it was harder, and you had to keep asking questions. Cause some people will try and take advantage of you. After the first quote from a contractor: $67K and my heart sank to the floor.” With the stress on her face she further went into how several quotes later and prices dropping, she relied heavily on the help from Loyola. Still, her family and her husband gave her strength.

During our time together she was accompanied with her husband, brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews. These were all key people to the journey that essentially put her product in motion. They took multiple opportunities to express who much they have given their “love and support” during this journey. Throughout our time, they contributed stories of get togethers, advice they often gave, and how they admired both Luz and her husband for the battles they fought. I asked if during her research she found any other Latina women, doing anything similar to what she had been trying to accomplish, but she had only ever seen it as a male run industry.

On that subject, she is mostly right. However, the strides that many Mexican-Americans are making in the winemaking business include running vineyards and many are indeed men. Yet, some of the most successful in the industry are deemed the “Queens of vino” and are presidents of vineyards in Sonoma and Napa. Relevant in their own right, however this is what makes Luz’s journey quite unique. Not having access to her own garden of fruits, she solely relies on resources within reach and trusting her taste buds to build on creativity in her experiments. Luz can very well be the first self-reliant, sustainable, and resourceful Latina wine-maker in the Midwest. And mentioning that to her stopped her in her tracks, “I don’t know! I know there aren’t many women or Latina women in the liquor industry.” What tie them all together are the basics of the American dream, living a life of passion with a plan to take Juicy Luzy global in 5 years. She plans on utilizing the many connections she has made in the last few years working several tastings and fashion events. This includes keeping it within the Hispanic community with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, My Habanero and in and around 18th street; all which she has said have been valuable to her progress.

Luz’s work ethic is not out of the ordinary. She shared a story with me about her hard working parents (who have been equally supportive in her journey) and the sacrifices they made for their 14 children in some of the rougher neighborhoods of Chicago including Humboldt Park and 26th and California; nonstop movement both north and south. Her and her brother touched on the realities of living in reputably tougher neighborhoods with gangs and gunfire. Yet, the hard work was essentially for their welfare attending Catholic School while their parents worked and cared for the children in shifts. Her life comprised of multiple family functions and attending church starting in the early AM both daily and weekly, and the tradition keeps on while the family gets smaller and separates.

After sampling her magical brews, it is evident what separates Juicy Luzy from all the rest. There are distinctive flavors with multiple citrus notes and lingering light and sweet tastes. Hers in particular contain 14% alcohol, which is more than the average, but is not overly evident upon tasting. It’s that type of alcohol that hits you much later and keeps the party going. Thankfully, there were many to try to keep the evening lengthy and full of great conversation, shared stories and allowed me to be invited to future family functions.

When Luz mentions how much “heart and soul” went into the creation of Juicy Luzy, it’s right when she begins to get emotional, finally seeing that tonight was the night it finally came to a conclusion. Many things coming to an end while looking forward to a new beginning where the real hard work begins. Just as she says, “it’s like giving birth.”

Show your support for Juicy Luzy and donate to her GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/2nvgung/donate/?upsell=cpgn_ share

Juicy Luzy website: http://juicyluzysangria.com/