When Catalina Gaete-Bentz was a young girl, she told her father, Julio Gaete, that she wanted to grow up to be a businesswoman. Her dad, a product of machismo culture, was opposed. When he said no, it lit a fire inside Catalina. Today, she is the founder and CEO of Catan Pisco.
She was born in Chile, where pisco is the national drink. Its history dates back five centuries to the time of the Incas. It is made from grapes that are fermented and then distilled. Drinking pisco is “like traveling to Chile in a glass,” she said.
When she was 3, her family moved to Bellflower, California, where her dad worked as a physical therapist. There were four kids in the family, including Catalina’s identical twin sister, Valentina. Catalina followed her entrepreneurial dream by earning her Master of Public Administration degree. She then worked as an assistant to a CEO at a startup and spent two years doing research and development on how to start a business.
Catalina knew she would someday be the CEO of her own company. All she needed was the right product. It came to her like an explosion of fireworks. She was with her fiancé, Daniel Bentz, when their parents first met. It was July 4, 2016 and she wanted to celebrate the coming together of the two families. “We need pisco to celebrate,” she declared.
Catalina chose to build her business around pisco. She named the company by combining her nickname, “Cat,” with her fiancé’s name, Dan. She also had the bottle designed in classic Art Deco style, with a distinctive logo.
Her first step was to search for the finest Chilean grapes. She received help from her uncle, also named Julio, and they visited vineyards willing to produce pisco. Chile has strict guidelines and only approves certain kinds of grapes. When Catalina tried PX grapes, she felt like she had won the lottery.
When the fermented PX grapes are distilled, all impurities are removed. This makes pisco gluten and carb free. It is then aged in oak barrels for three months. The result is a clear, translucent drink with no additives. It is classified as 80-proof but doesn’t contain the impurities that cause hangovers.
Catalina entered Catan Pisco in the San Diego Spirits Festival. There were 125 entrants and her pisco competed head-to-head against a $400 bottle of Courvoisier cognac. Catan Pisco, which retails for $36 a bottle, won “Best in Show” and took home two Gold Medals.
Her first account was with Binny’s, which is selling Catan Pisco at 18 locations. Famous Liquors also stocks the brand. Local restaurants in Oak Park and Forest Park are also serving pisco. It is versatile and can be used to make different cocktails. Piacere Mio makes a Piscotini and an Old Fashioned, with cinnamon and brown sugar. I can personally assert that both are delicious.
Catan Pisco is based in Forest Park because Catalina and Dan moved here three years ago. They have two sons, Callan, 3, and Gavin, 1. It isn’t easy operating a new business with young children. But Catalina is enjoying the simple pleasures of being a homeowner, like mowing the front lawn.
She is also planning events to publicize Catan Pisco. For example, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and customers can toast Chilean Independence Day on Sept. 16. Catalina has a solid business plan but could use more investors.
Starting your own business can be scary. But as her mother Roxanna, said, “The only crazy ideas are the ones that are thought of but never acted upon.”
