Laura Valentino Romero

Laura Valentino Romero has been a marketing and sales professional for over 20 years. In the past 9 years, her focus passion sparked for distilled spirits while providing marketing, event, and account management services for a local Austin hot spot family-owned restaurant, Casa Chapala. With over 100 tequila selections, Laura quickly realized she was on journey to learn, appreciate, and savor the agave spirit. Lupe Barragan, owner of Casa Chapala, has been Laura's (and Lamar's) inspiration to embark in her own personal expedition within the tequila industry. He has made her the official coordinator for the Austin Tequila Fest for the last four years. Austin Tequila Fest is the perfect place to try and savor 30+ agave spirits in lavish cultural experience.

In the Summer of 2012, Laura shared her passion for everything Mexican with her parents and husband Lamar as they drove from Austin, Texas to visit her hometown, San Luis Potosi, where she could not wait to eat her Tacos Potosinos, sweet breads, and elote. They continued on their journey to visit the tequila distilleries in Jalisco, Mexico. Laura embraces the beauty, history, and passion of the Mexican spirit and hopes to make an annual trip to Mexico to continue learning and appreciating everything she has to offer. These passions are responsible for the creation and founding of the Tequila Tribe where agave lovers unite to learn, enjoy, and savor the Spirit of Mexico. In addition, her love of promoting the agave spirit, embarked the creation of Dragon Spirits Marketing to help promote and market other incredible artisanal distilled spirits.

Many people who know Laura do not realize that she lived in San Luis Potosi, Mexico for 8 years before coming state side to Texas. Laura appreciates and loves the Mexican culture, as her father has been very strict on her Spanish since she was a baby! Laura is very active in the community and currently volunteering for several non-profits in town. Laura graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising. She enjoys helping others, painting, drawing, CrossFitting, dancing, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband, family, and 2 black labs. Laura not only enjoys a good sipping tequila, mezcal, or sotol, but also savors sipping on beautiful bourbons, cognacs, vodkas, gins, and whiskeys!