Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Pamela Maria De La Luz of Santa Monica

We recently had the chance to connect with Pamela Maria De La Luz and have shared our conversation below.

Pamela Maria, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, the greatest joy in my life comes from the quiet moments at home with my animals — all fourteen of them. My days start before sunrise with the sounds of paws on wood floors, sleepy cats stretching in warm patches of light, and the older dogs waiting patiently for their morning hugs. It’s a little wild at times — fur on my clothes, water bowls everywhere — but it’s also where I feel the most peaceful. They don’t care about business plans or deadlines; they just want love. And that keeps me grounded.

I’m still very involved in animal rescue work, especially through the Humane Society’s Pets for Life program. I’ve been volunteering for over fifteen years, helping trap and care for stray or injured animals, and it’s become a part of my life I couldn’t give up even if I tried. There’s something incredibly healing about earning the trust of an animal who’s only ever known fear. Those moments—whether it’s bottle-feeding a newborn kitten at midnight or watching a once-abandoned dog fall asleep in a warm bed—remind me why kindness matters, in business and in life.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Pamela Maria De La Luz, founder of AgaveLuz Organic Tequila. I’ve worked in the tequila world for over 20 years, starting at a small family liquor store in Los Angeles where I fell in love with the spirit—not just the taste, but the craftsmanship, history, and people behind it. Over time I watched tequila become overly commercial, filled with marketing instead of meaning, and I knew I wanted to bring it back to its roots: pure ingredients, slow hands-on production, and honesty. That’s how AgaveLuz was born.

At AgaveLuz, we make tequila the way it was meant to be—using only two ingredients: 100% certified organic blue agave and natural water. No chemicals, no shortcuts. Our agave is slow-cooked in traditional brick ovens, naturally fermented, distilled with care, and rested with patience. We produce only a limited number of bottles each year because I would rather make something pure and unforgettable than something mass-produced. Even our bottle took years of searching and failed attempts—it honors both the agave plant and the female form, and every curve tells a piece of our story.

Animal welfare is also deeply woven into who I am and what this brand stands for. I’ve spent more than 15 years volunteering with animal rescue groups, especially the Humane Society’s Pets for Life program in Los Angeles, and I share my home with fourteen rescue animals. So with every AgaveLuz bottle sold, we donate to help animals in need—spay programs, medical care, food, and rescue transport. It’s not a campaign; it’s part of my life.

Right now, we’re growing thoughtfully—bringing AgaveLuz to select restaurants, luxury bars, and retailers across the U.S., while documenting the entire journey from soil to sip. My goal isn’t just to build a tequila brand—it’s to protect a craft, honor the land and people who make it possible, and prove that business can exist with heart. If someone tastes AgaveLuz and feels the care, patience, and purpose behind it, then I’ve done my job.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think before the world told me who I had to be, I was just a quiet girl who loved animals and noticed everything. I wanted to help, even when no one was watching—rescuing injured birds, sitting with lonely kids at school, trying to make things feel safe for others. I was sensitive, curious, and maybe a little too tender for a world that asks you to be tough. In many ways, I’m still her—I’ve just learned how to protect her a little better.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely—more than once. There were moments when I felt like I had poured my entire heart into AgaveLuz and still the world was saying, “This is too hard. Let it go.” Finding a distillery willing to make truly organic tequila—no chemicals, no shortcuts—took years. Most people told me it wasn’t possible, that going organic was expensive, unnecessary, and that no one would care. But I cared. And I wasn’t willing to put my name on something that wasn’t clean and honest.

The bottle nearly broke me. I wanted a bottle that honored both the agave plant and the female form—strong, elegant, and pure. But factory after factory rejected it. They said it was too tall, too heavy, too complicated, especially with the one-piece glass agave-pineapple topper I insisted on. I lost money, time, and sleep. People told me to just buy a standard bottle and move on. But something in me said no—I would rather take longer and do it right than rush and make something ordinary.

There were nights I cried, thinking maybe this dream was bigger than me. Organic certification, bottle molds breaking, glass that didn’t fit the cork, labels printed wrong, shipments delayed, people doubting me—it felt endless. But every time I wanted to give up, I pictured holding the finished bottle in my hands and saying, “This is exactly what I envisioned. I didn’t compromise.”

And now I can. That’s the only reason I kept going.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
I try to make sure the public version of me is as close to the real me as possible. I don’t want to play a role or become someone I don’t recognize just because I own a brand. What you see—my love for animals, my obsession with purity and honesty in tequila, my emotional side—that’s all real.

But I’ll also be honest… the real me is much quieter. I’m happiest in jeans, at the distillery or at home feeding cats, not on a stage or at a fancy event. In public, I have to be composed and confident. In private, I’m softer, more unsure, and sometimes overwhelmed like everyone else.

So yes, the public me is real—but it’s the polished version. The realest parts of me are the ones no one sees: when I’m bottle-feeding a rescue kitten at midnight or standing alone in the agave fields, talking to the plants and saying thank you.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
f immortality were real, I would spend it saving animals—specifically dogs and cats. I would build a sanctuary that never runs out of space or time. A place where every abandoned dog or forgotten cat could live safely—no cages, no countdown to adoption, just love, care, and dignity for as long as they need.

With endless years, I’d rescue the ones no one wants—the seniors, the injured, the shy ones who hide in the back of shelters. I’d build real homes, not concrete kennels. Soft beds, warm sunlight, a vet clinic on site, and people whose only job is to love and heal them.

And with forever, I wouldn’t just save them—I’d work to change the system so one day sanctuaries like mine wouldn’t even be needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://agaveluz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agaveluztequila/
• Twitter: https://x.com/AgaveLuzTequila
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/AgaveLuz-Organic-Tequila/61569199658937/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AgaveLuzorganictequila
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@agaveluztequila

Image Credits
agaveluz.