The business of tequila has brought smiles — and a few bucks — to comedian, actor, and entrepreneur Kevin Hart despite consumers drinking less alcohol.

"We're flying in rare air," Hart said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (video above). "I think hard work definitely pays off. A lot of the hard work that I'm referring to, of course, went into developing the liquid ... If you have something that people are responding to and that they love, they'll keep coming back." 

Hart co-founded Gran Coramino in May 2022 with Juan Domingo Beckmann, an 11th-generation tequila maker. Another co-founder, James Morrissey, is a power player in the celebrity liquor game and has helped launch a rosé wine brand with musician Post Malone. 

In just three years, Gran Coramino has sold nearly 300,000 nine-liter cases, with more than half of that growth happening in 2025. Last year, the brand climbed to No. 22 in total tequila sales, up from No. 31 in 2024.

To date, the brand has sold 3.6 million bottles and hauled in $200 million in total retail sales. About $85 million of those sales happened in 2025.

Considering that there are more than 3,000 tequila brands, the growth is impressive. And given the backdrop right now in the spirits industry, the growth is even more of a standout.

US spirits sales fell 2.2% to $36.4 billion in 2025 as consumers leaned into healthier lifestyles, according to new data out of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Just about every major spirits category notched sales drops. 

Vodka sales fell 3% to $7 billion. Sales of tequila and mezcal declined 4.1% to $6.4 billion. American whiskey sales fell 0.9%. 

The lone bright spot: Sales of premixed cocktails, such as ready-to-drink beverages, increased more than 16% to $3.8 billion.

Gran Coramino will spend 2026 executing on a growth plan, Morrissey said.

"We've got aggressive targets over the next few years," Morrissey explained. "Tomorrow [we] will be in San Francisco for Super Bowl weekend, and activating the brand with Kevin in April. We're going to hit a number of cities and meet our trade partners. But the brand stands on its own two feet now. It doesn't require Kevin every day going out there and hosting every consumer event."

Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.

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