Kendall Jenner is no stranger to being in the spotlight, whether she’s on a high-fashion runway, in the new season of her family’s Disney+ series, The Kardashians, or simply being snapped by the press as she goes about her day-to-day life. Now the celebrity and model has taken on a new role, adding to her already busy schedule: entrepreneur. Following in the footsteps of her sisters, Jenner launched her own company, but instead of going the fashion or beauty route, she chose another star favourite: tequila. Her brand, 818, offers three types of handcrafted small-batch tequila—blanco, reposado and añejo—made from agave grown on family-owned farms in Jalisco, Mexico, and is named after the area code of the Los Angeles borough where she grew up. After a very successful U.S. launch last May, the distilled spirit has now made its way north of the border.

ON LAUNCHING IN CANADA

“I am so excited that 818 is now available across Canada! From the day we launched in the U.S., we’d been getting questions from excited Canadians about when we would be there. I hope everyone in Canada loves it as much as we do. We are available at liquor stores across the country as well as in bars and restaurants such as Moxies and Pizza Wine Disco.”

ON 818’S INSPIRATION

“I am lucky to have a family full of strong women, and I have been inspired by their entrepreneurial drive since I was a kid. My parents have loved tequila for as long as I can remember, and as I got older, I became interested in trying new tequilas on my own. It became a creative pursuit for me, and I ultimately decided that I wanted to produce a tequila that’s super smooth and delicious but also sustainably crafted.”

ON SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY

“Sustainability has been a huge priority for me since day one. I wanted to create a tequila that tastes phenomenal, but I also wanted to limit our impact on the earth. We do a lot of stuff in this space—for example, we are a member of 1% for the Planet, which means we donate 1 percent of our revenue to planet-saving causes. And through this partnership, we are collaborating with S.A.C.R.E.D., a non-profit committed to helping the environment and communities where heritage agave spirits are made. We are producing ‘818 bricks,’ which are created from leftover agave fibres, water waste and adobe soil, and donating them to community projects. Our first one is building a library in Zapotitlán de Vadillo, a town in the middle of an agave-growing region, and we have four more in Jalisco that we kicked off this year. Our distillery runs on biomass and solar [power], and our labels and corks are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as being from sustainable forests.”

ON DRINKING TEQUILA

“I am a sucker for a classic marg, but I also love flavours like strawberry and ginger with my tequila cocktails. Our blanco and reposado are really, really good in a tequila mule! As for my favourite, I love them all, of course, but right now, I’m really feeling our añejo. I love to drink it neat while relaxing on my couch after a big day.”

ON MANAGING STRESS

“I really prioritize mindfulness and staying present in all aspects of my life. I’m blessed to have learned a lot of tools—things like sound healing and deep-breathing exercises—over the years that help me deal with stress and anxiety and take a break from it all.”

ON BALANCING THE WORKLOAD

“The new show is great because, as you might imagine, my family and I are really close, and I love spending time with them. And it’s really cool that the show has been able to follow me as I’ve been building and working on [my business], which is a huge part of my life these days.”

ON BUSINESS CHALLENGES

“With 818, I knew it was important to hire people with expertise in the alcohol space, but I also had to remind myself to always trust my gut. As a woman in business, I am not immune to imposter syndrome, so that makes it all the more important for me to stay true to my vision for my brand and company.”

ON FAMILY ADVICE

“Everyone in my family is really hard-working—even when they experience setbacks or challenges. My sisters have inspired me to persevere through the bumps in the road that come with building a business.”

ON HER LOVE FOR CANADA

“Toronto is great, and I’ve had some fun times there, but I also love snowboarding, and the Canadian Rockies are gorgeous. Maybe [I’d do] Toronto for a night out and then Whistler for some outdoor time.”