About Us
Our History
2015
Project Starts
El Cantinero Project starts and the firsts “Coctelería Clandestina” Latin inspired speakeasy pop-upshappen in DFW, Texas
2016
First Year Anniversary
First year anniversary party evolved and write ups
2017
Shifts its Business Model
El Cantinero hosts its last pop-up event and shifts its business model to Bar & Beverage Consulting. Development of proprietary premium mixers starts
2019
The Pandemic
COVID-19 stalls the world and restaurants close due to the pandemic
2020
Taste Flavors
We start to R&D flavors in our time off our jobs
2020
Launches the First Flavors
El Cantinero launches the first flavors of our core line in very small quantities
2021
New Products get launched
El Cantinero gets incorporated, new products get launched and first accounts outside of DFW start to appear.
2023
signs with a major distributor
El Cantinero signs with a major distributor in Texas and State expansion start. E-commerce start development.
Values that define us
Mission
Showcase and promote our Latin culture and heritage through our products and services.To raise the bar/restaurant standards through successful practices and effective initiatives maximizing revenue and adapting to applicable trends.Provide the outstanding quality and standards in our daily operations. Contribute and support local businesses in a synergetic way that we grow as a business and community.Be congruent with our ethos and practices to raise awareness of our culture while achieving profits.
Vision
To become the premier Beverage Solution company in the United States and to expose and illustrate Latin American Culture through flavor and expert practices in the Hospitality industry.
Values
Boutique, local, handcrafted, all natural, family owned, South/Latin American authentic flavors, self-invested, high end products & services
Meet the Founders
Daniel Arturo Guillen Espinoza
FounderI am from Lima, Peru and migrated to “Tierras Yankees” in my teenage years. I have been in the industry for over a decade, solely in Dallas, Tx. I started in a McDonalds Restaurant washing “Mac-dishes” at 16 and moved to most positions ever to be held in a
restaurant by 25. I have gotten people drunk at the bar, and gotten myself drunk while seating at one as well. I have won a couple of Local and National Cocktail Competitions while tending the bar, co-owned a bar, worked for major Liquor companies like Johnny Walker and La Caravedo as an ambassador, but the most satisfying reward I got was to create El Cantinero with my brother Armando in 2015.
With El Cantinero we gave ourselves the canvas to put our culture in cocteles and to question ourselves “what goes beyond the Margarita and Pisco Sour?” “Is there something else, was there any? Will there be any?” After research and finding
connections in South America, the answer is There was, There is and Coño There will be!.
While in its baby steps, El Cantinero got early cknowledgement in its famous pop-up monthly parties for showcasing Latin culture and celebrating its heritage in the Texas market. With time, we evolved to a Development and Consulting group and started developing our signature line of bar mixers and bottle by bottle we hope to share a little bit of us and our culture with you in your next beverage.
Christian Armando Guillen Espinoza
FounderChristian Armando is a Peruvian born who migrated from Lima, Peru into the United States at the age of fifteen with the purpose of finishing his superior education in Texas. Later on, having a fascination on human behavior and numbers, he let his curiosity be channeled into studying Psychology and Economics in college.
Nothing is ever free in this life. So having understood this, he funded his own education from venturing into the hospitality industry in bars and restaurants. A couple of years into this, he discovered a deep interest and curiosity within crafty world of food and beverage which later on turned into a passion which he practices with joy every single day.
It wasn’t until 2015, this passion of his decided to take a sharper turn and partner up with his brother Daniel who had had a very similar experience and believes. Thus, El Cantinero came to life.
At first, it was a celebration of South American culture through themed cocktail Pop-Ups in Texas, then it evolved into a Hospitality Development entity, then it saw a glance of expansion into various countries and cities in the Americas, then most recently a solidification of all of these departments into a core line of cocktail mixers. However, all of these angles always had one thing one culture in mind…integrity, soul, discipline, expression, emotion, and passion.