REPORT CARD
STUDENT:
Eric Brass
GRADUATED:
Forest Hill Collegiate, 2001
BEST SUBJECT:
History
WORST SUBJECT:
Everything else!
CURRENT JOB:
CEO of Tequila Tromba
It was a hot day in Mexico, and tequila was her name. While on an exchange with the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2005, Eric Brass fell in love.
Brass had previously never visited Mexico. He didn’t speak Spanish and didn’t know a thing about Mexican culture. Then, driving in a rented pickup en route from Puerto Verde to Guadalajara, a “tromba” forced him and his roommate-turned-business-partner, Nick Reid, out the road in a small town to wait out the storm.
Realizing that he had an economics classmate who lived in town, Brass made a phone call. While spending the night at the friend’s cottage, he looked out the window and saw a field of what he thought were cacti. He was quickly informed that they were agave plants — what pure tequila is made from.
“That’s the day I fell in love with tequila,” says Brass. “If it weren’t for the tromba that pulled us off the road, this would have never been possible."
“Tromba” refers to the seasonal rainfall that arrives in Mexico every spring, which provides nourishment to the agave plants.
Brass learned that tequila isn’t just the disgusting shot that you knock back at last call. It can also be a terrific spirit that can be sipped and savoured — but many of us in Toronto never have that experience.
“Back home I could go to a bar, get a really low-quality tequila or something that is perceived as high quality because of its price point,” says Brass. “There was nothing that was accessible, in the middle, that was terrific tasting and had the ability to be mixed into a quality cocktail.”
He and Reid decided to fill that void, and an exciting new business venture was born. Tequila Tromba is now behind the counter in over 150 bars and restaurants in the city.
Brass’s keen business sense can be attributed to lessons learned back at Forest Hill C.I.
“Mr. Zambrano was my economics teacher and he inspired us to look behind the surface of why things are done in the world of economics and business,” Brass explains. “He had some pretty radical views on things, he was inspiring.”
Brass has come a long way since graduation in 2001. Claudio Aprile’s Origin restaurant even named a drink after him.
“Origin did this about two months ago and surprised me,” says Brass. “It’s pretty darn cool.”
