Kendall Jenner wants her tequila brand to support the Jalisco community.
The 25-year-old model was accused of culturally appropriating Mexican culture earlier this year, when she starred in a controversial advertising campaign for 818 Tequila, but Kendall has now revealed how she and her brand are supporting the community where the drink is made.
The brunette beauty said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she was giving back to the people in the area where 818 is made.
I care: Kendall Jenner wants her tequila brand to support the Jalisco community, she told Jimmy Fallon while on The Tonight Show this week (pictured on the show)
Ouch: The 25-year-old model was accused of culturally appropriating Mexican culture earlier this year, when she starred in a controversial advertising campaign for 818 Tequila
‘At our distillery, which I was just at the other day, we found a way to take the agave fibres and water waste and build sustainable brick that were are actually dominating back to the community of Jalisco,’ shared the Vogue model.
And the daughter of Kris Jenner added: ‘Along with saving the planet it’s important for us to be friendly to the community as well. We’re donating them and building homes for people that need homes.’
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Andy Coronado, who co-owns La Gritona Tequila with businesswoman Melly Barajas Cardenas, previously bemoaned celebrities like Kendall entering the drinks industry.
She knows how to push it: She said she is giving back now, even building homes for the poor. Here she is seen in a green dress this summer as she plugs 818
Drinking with the locals: She employs people in Jalisco, Mexico for her tequila brand
Sitting pretty: The star seen on her 818 Tequila Instagram page in Mexico
He warned that celebrity tequila companies ‘pull away resources from smaller brands’.
Andy said: ‘It is a commodity, and it boosts the prices. It leaves the rest of the tequila world to trying to … survive.’
Meanwhile, Melly thinks the drinks industry is becoming more globalized.
She said: ‘If you say tequila, you immediately think about Mexico.
‘I would love for it to be known all over the world by whoever because although an American creates their own brand and whether you like it or not, Mexico also sees that money because there’s no other country.’
But that appropriation is not the only issue Kendall has had with 818.
In May Jenner’s 818 Tequila brand was accused of being strikingly similar to a rival.
The model has developed her own brand, but Tequila 512 CEO Nick Matzorkis has already taken to Instagram to point out the similarities between the two products.
He wrote in a now-deleted message on social media: ‘Note the similarities including the color, the name and it is made in the same distillery in Tequila Mexico as ours.’
Making at splash at the Met Gala: Jenner is seen on September 13, 2021 in New York City
Nick also observed that the brunette beauty’s product costs twice as much as the Texas company’s drink.
However, he subsequently insisted he’s not accusing Kendall of doing anything wrong.
He told TV station KXAN: ‘To be clear, the post does not accuse them of ‘stealing our idea,’ but does point out obvious undeniable similarities that in their entirety makes a worthy point on the face of it.’
The family can next be seen on Hulu’s new Kardashian show.
Kris, 65 – who has starred on the long-running series since 2007 – said: ‘This is the next chapter.
‘In the new show, you’ll see us evolving as a family, fans want us to be who we are and since moment one, they’ve been emotionally invested in our show just like we are.
‘The fans will love seeing us continue the journey. I can’t say much about what’s coming but spoiler, we’re going to look fabulous and everyone’s going to watch.’
