january-February 2011

Patrón His business card reads

“Super Proud Owner” [of Patrón Spirits
Company]. John Paul DeJoria, featured as

Saint
No. 66 in Forbes magazine’s October 2010
list of “Richest People in America,” with a net
worth of $4.2 billion, is more likely to be worth
his soul’s weight in gold. He has given back
millions of dollars to a wide variety of meaning-
ful causes.
In 1979, he and his friend Paul Mitchell, who
was a hairdresser, decided to combine their
skills and launch their own hair care product
company. In 1980, they began the business
John Paul Dejoria with $700, some of which DeJoria borrowed
from his mother. After starting his business,
is Not Only the Man DeJoria lived in his car for several weeks
and spent only $2.50 a day on food. He had
Behind the Tequila no money for advertising and had to rely on

Brand, But a True

himself to promote products he believed were
the best available.

Philanthropist It was in 1989 that he and the late Martin

Crowley came up with the idea to launch a
hand-crafted tequila.
Now, the ubiquitous brand, along with its
Agave leads to agape: portfolio mates—Patrón Citrónge orange
Jean Paul DeJoria is liqueur, Patrón XO Café, Gran Patrón Platinum,
Chairman of Patrón Gran Patrón Burdeos, Pyrat Rums and Ultimat
Spirits Company Vodka—is globally recognized and Patrón is the
and co-founder of No.1 ultra-premium, tequila brand. ➤
hair care company
John Paul Mitchell
Systems.
 UP
Up Front With
John Paul
Dejoria by Meridith May / photos by Tom Zasadzinski

We meet at DeJoria’s office

on the 12th floor of John Paul Mitchell Systems’
Beverly Hills headquarters. Beautiful women,
obviously well-coiffed, pepper the chic lobby
and offices. I’m thankful my own tresses are in
good shape—partially because I had equipped
my own hairdresser with the company’s new Wild
Ginger Awapuhi shampoo and conditioner for that
morning’s blow-out.
DeJoria’s corner window office looks out to the
Hollywood Hills and framed images that span almost
three decades showcase the entrepreneur with
everyone from Bill Clinton to Mohammed Ali.
But DeJoria’s most prized possession, he points
out, is the Horatio Alger award he received in 2004.
“It’s the only award given in the Supreme Court,”
DeJoria comments. He picks it up and smiles. “It is
an honor bestowed on Americans who went through
adversity and achieved fame and success, but who
then circle back to help the planet along the way.”
The award, handed to him by Justice Clarence
Thomas, was a nod to DeJoria’s humble beginnings.
He is a first-generation American (his father was
from Italy and his mother from Greece) who, voted
Least Likely to Succeed at his Los Angeles high
school, became a successful entrepreneur and,
ultimately, a philanthropist.

Philanthropy First
Before we even get to the subject of Patrón,
DeJoria wants to tell me about his pet project, Grow
Appalachia. “It’s all about what I believe: Success
that is not shared is failure.”
The Appalachian Community Gardening and Food
Security Project teaches families in West Virginia

  /  the tasting panel  /  january–february 201 1

coal mining communities to grow their own food. Through
Berea College in Kentucky, more than 100 families are living
better, thanks to nutritional education and the ability to
harvest from their own gardens. “There’s a limited availability
of high-quality fresh produce in this region,” says DeJoria.
“Through generations, and because of rampant unemploy-
ment, a loss of knowledge of gardening, cooking and food
preservation skills have occurred. Obesity and poor health is
what we’re fighting.”
Although DeJoria’s sponsorship continues to purchase the
raw materials, from seed to fertilizer, and pays the way for
everything from irrigation for the gardens to the key to it
all—education, the philanthropist can state proudly: “In 2011,
2,700 people will be eating off these 100 gardens.”
Food4Africa, which feeds thousands of orphaned children
vitamin-enriched meals every day, is another heartfelt
project to which DeJoria has become attached. He has also
sponsored a home for girls in Thailand to rescue them from
lives of prostitution. And in Mexico, he created an orphanage
and a home for elderly families. The list goes on, from Sea
Shepherd, an organization that defends ocean life worldwide,
to the St. Bernard Project, an organization that rebuilds
homes and lives for Katrina survivors.
Success, Energy and Drive
Although DeJoria is in his Beverly Hills office only about
once a month, that doesn’t mean his finger is not firmly on
the pulse of both his businesses. His new Paul Mitchell Hair
Care Systems Wild Ginger Awapuhi is already a cult favorite
with consumers and hairdressers. The proprietary blend of
triplex keratin “rebuilds hair up to 80 percent with the first
use, and retains hair color and prevents fading by 65 percent,
with 30 percent more shine,” explains the entrepreneur, who
is as savvy about hair care as about tequila. (As a user myself,
I can offer a testimonial to the product’s effectiveness.)
Making appearances at events, appearing on television
with Larry King, representing Patrón at Sundance and
participating in celebrity sports events is part of his life. But
his daughter Alexis also plays a connected role. At the wheel
of her top alcohol Funny Car, she has passion and drive, too.
Sponsored by Patrón Racing (a team that also includes Le
Mans cars), the raven-haired beauty is qualified to run: She
ranks among the top ten in the world in her class.
DeJoria is generous with his time for this interview, but he
warns me that he has to shoot a new commercial for Patrón.
“What’s the message?” I ask.
“Patrón’s recipe is the same as it was from the beginning.
And our other message is that we give back.”
DeJoria is alarmed that some people may think that with its
phenomenal success, Patrón’s recipe and distillation process
have strayed from their artisanal beginnings. “We make it the
same way, in small batches,” he assures us. “Let’s call it the
old-fashioned way.”
But, in another way, Patrón does go beyond the norm: The
special distillation process takes the waste from production
through reverse osmosis so as not to pollute the land. “It’s
expensive, but we’re in a position where we can do this . . .
with honor.”
january–february 201 1  /  the tasting panel  /