Meet Pablo Murillo and Morris Ellis of Aguas Locas in Westside

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pablo Murillo and Morris Ellis.

Pablo and Morris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We started during quarantine while being furloughed from our jobs and amidst the pandemic. With all the uncertainty and the endless amount of time, I started creating agua fresca flavors that were healthy enough for my three year old daughter. I wanted to create aguas frescas without sugar that still brought back the nostalgia of being a kid in Mexico. I also knew that a lot of us needed a nice cocktail after a long day of quarantine. After hours of research and testing, I knew I needed a strong logo that would make us stand out and so I called my super talented and good friend Morris. I knew I wanted a partner who had the same philosophies of life and was an overall great human. He completely brought my vision to life and so “Aguas Locas” was born. From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to be much more than a beverage company and so we have made it our mission to be a substitute for sugary-filled drinks that the whole “familia” can enjoy. We also knew that we wanted to be a socially aware company that always gave back to the communities we served. We have done everything up to this point mostly through social media, through word of mouth, and our punk rock DIY mentality.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has grown so organically and naturally. While we have had our own struggles, we are lucky to have a strong core of friends and family that have supported us and helped us get to where we are today. Starting a company at any time is hard enough and adding a pandemic certainly does not help. However, we have a business model that did not have to pivot like most businesses. Wearing masks and gloves while doing everything was also an adjustment but one we made happily to ensure the health and safety of all our customers. We are learning something new every week and are very much enjoying the process!

Aguas Locas – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a bottled “agua fresca” company. We take a modern approach to this ancient Aztec tradition of blending fruit, water, and sugar. However, we are more than a beverage company and stand out from the rest of the aguas frescas by not using any sugar or syrups. Everything is “hecha a mano” or “made by hand” in small batches only using the freshest ingredients. From the limes we squeeze to the labeling of the bottles, to the distribution and social media. It is all done by our small Aguas Locas family. We are proud to be an inclusive and Latino owned company. We hope that when someone buys our product, drinks our “Aguas”, tags us, posts about us, and wears an “Aguas Locas” shirt that they feel like a part of the “familia” We want to be company that always gives back, and to inspire those to create positive changes. It is at the core of who we are and what we strive to be as a company.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For us success is getting to do what we love. Being able to do this full-time and owning our own company is something we have always dreamed of. I hope that we continue to grow everyday and that our brand and drinks reach as many people as possible. We measure success daily; did we purchase enough produce? Did we remember to post on social media? Did we do everything we could to help the company grow? We also have long-term goals like being in supermarkets, “popping up” at major festivals (whenever those start happening again.) Sponsoring athletes and collaborating with artists.(check out our latest collaboration with the amazingly talented @sarasandovalart where we will be donating a portion of our proceeds to @chirla_org) We would like to grow while also giving back our time and money to organizations that help with social and global issues we believe in. A goal I have set for us is to get our product into Dodgers Stadium and Banc of California (LAFC) stadium. It is a dream I wake up thinking about everyday.

Pricing:

• 12oz bottles are $6 and $14
• 64oz bottles are $25 and $65

Contact Info:

• Address: 329 California
  Santa Monica, CA
  90403
• Phone: 4086370878
• Email: pablomurillo317@gmail.com
• Instagram: @aguas_locas_la
• Facebook: @aguas_locas_LA

Image Credit:
@pascalshirley (Pascal Shirley), @jpbbls (Jason Pebbles), @kheckmullerphoto (Katheryn Heckmuller)

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