Additive Free Alliance (AFA), which began as a programme run by website Tequila Matchmaker, has been established as an independent entity with a board of directors. The organisation has filed for nonprofit 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. 

 

The AFA says the change has been made in response to an increase in consumer demand for transparency in labelling of Tequila and other spirits.

 

Members of the AFA include brands, consumers, retailers, and distributors looking to “promote transparency and education”. Spirits brands joining the AFA agree to have products to be sold in US retail stores undergo an independent liquid chromatography lab analysis and sensorial evaluation. The tests confirm the absence of additives in the product — which could include artificial sweeteners and flavourings, sugar, and added glycerine and propylene glycol.

 

On its inception in 2020, the goal of the AFA was to provide transparency on the use of additives in Tequila. Brands are not legally required to disclose whether additives are present in Tequila. 

 

Grover Sanschagrin, founder of Tequila Matchmaker and new board president of Additive Free Alliance, said: “It’s important to note that the AFA is not against brands that use additives. From the very beginning, our goal was simply to seek transparency in product labelling. The AFA is not a regulator, or an official certification. We’re an independent nonprofit organisation of likeminded member companies that are committed to transparency, community, and honesty.”

 

The AFA will now expand to include non-Tequila agave-based spirits. The first to join is agave-based vodka Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka. Lee Applbaum, president and COO of Weber Ranch Vodka’s owner Round 2 Spirits, commented: “The Additive Free Alliance provides consumers, bartenders, and retailers objective, verifiable information they need and deserve, while giving producers like us a way to reinforce our transparency, integrity, and trust. It’s a win-win, and we’re honored to be the organization’s first non-tequila member, committed to honoring the beauty of unadulterated agave.”

 

AFA launches as an independent organisation representing more than 100 brands, more than 125 retail partners, and 42 distilleries.