I left school at 16 because I hated lessons, but now I earn £4 million and celebrities love my business – this is my secret to success

The rising star in the world of tequila production is not the owner of a hacienda in Mexico, but a working mother from Essex.

Gina Duke, 35, launched her family-run drinks company planning to offer a luxury drink that appealed to women locally, but her small brand has gone global in just five years.

She now sells hundreds of thousands of liters of Mis Amigos Tequila, as well as vodka and gin, all over the world.

She revealed that her company, G&I Spirit Group, has gone ‘from nothing to now turning over £4m a year and going up’.

Her cream-based tequilas are in such high demand that she has shipped 120,000 gallons of tequila to Miami, most of it loaded aboard cruise ships bound for the Caribbean and Mexico, the spiritual home of the blue agave plant from which tequila is made.

After flying solo to international fairs in Mumbai and Shanghai, she had a Chinese customer who placed an initial order for a hundred thousand bottles of premium gin.

In the meantime, more than 12 tons of tequila (corresponding to 2,000 liters) have just been shipped to India.

Her company is also negotiating with distributors in Peru, Chile and Japan, and Gina has also broken into the US market, launching with 20 states in 2024.

What makes her different is that the tequila is cream-based and her Mis Amigos range includes chocolate and strawberry cream tequilas, plus chocolate, coffee and chocolate and lime flavours.

Thanks to her success, Gina recently appointed celebrity chef Aldo ZiIli as brand ambassador for her tequila brand and the group’s total turnover is expected to rise to £4 million this financial year.

It all started when Gina, mother of three Macey, 16, Etta, 10, and six-year-old son Reggie, set up G&I Spirit Group Ltd to supply spirits to bars and restaurants owned by her family in Essex.

Interest grew quickly through mere word of mouth.

“I love being a devoted mother, but also a successful CEO,” says Gina from Benfleet.

‘We are small and based in Essex, in an industry dominated by some very large players and brands. But what we have is a unique blend of extremely high quality ingredients, a ‘can do’ attitude and the belief that our drinks are the best in the world.

‘It’s my baby and my ideas, but we are a huge family and work together as a collective. We support each other very much and that has contributed to our growth. As my grandfather said, “great things never come from comfort zones.”

Gina left school at 16, saying it ‘wasn’t for her’.

She explains: ‘Coming from a family full of entrepreneurs, mixed with a strong military background, I shared their passion and drive. I had a brain for creativity and wanted to go out and get my hands dirty.

‘I felt that big international brands, run by people in suits, lacked the personal experience to really serve the end consumer.

“I saw an opportunity to work with master distillers and create a range of alcoholic drinks that fit my vision.

‘After almost two years of research and development, we developed a range of super premium vodka and gins, and then ventured into the fast-growing Tequila market.

‘I discussed this idea with my family members and after assessing the risks and strengths of the business, I decided to open G&I Spirit Group Ltd in Great Britain.

‘The company is aptly named after my heroes, my own grandparents, George and Ida.

‘We initially started producing for our own venues, and the word spread to other bars and pub groups who were interested in our products.

“We grew slowly so we didn’t grow too fast and I stayed within my cash flow constraints. About two years ago, we decided to explore the overseas export market.”

Together with her father Simon and uncle Rupert, they launched their own import and distribution company, first in the US. They have also set up and registered an EU division to better sell to the 27 EU countries.

Simon says: ‘We didn’t want to lie in wait and be manipulated by large multinationals. This way we can say that we have our own distribution network and our own import company, so we can do it our way.

“I’ve always told Gina, since she was a little girl, never to be afraid of anything and to achieve your goals. I’m very proud of her.’

Chef Aldo Zilli signed up in November. He said: ‘When I met the guys at Mis Amigos and they showed me what they had made, I immediately saw lots of different ways to use it in my cooking, and that it would be a great addition to Casa Zilli.

‘Tequila is such a unique and subtle drink that pairs beautifully with chocolate, and the coffee flavor makes the best tiramisu and espresso martinis, and I can’t wait to make summer desserts with the strawberry flavour.

“I love the product, so I was honored when they asked me to join the Mis Amigos family as a brand ambassador.”

The range also includes ’88’ brand vodka and gin, and Jillion’s gin, named after the Duke family aunt who worked as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War – all of which are available in the UK on the website from the G&I Spirit group.