Photo By Michael Pisarri
Leticia Fernández de Mesa considers her shift away from a career in fine art to creating a new vodka as a natural progression. Her Miami-based enterprise, Una Vodka, an edible flower-infused spirit, became a new canvas with which to express the continuation of her life’s journey, she says. “It was a way to blend beauty found in nature with craftsmanship and creativity that I’ve always valued working in the art world. I wanted to create something unique, something that tells a story and evokes emotion.”
The Coconut Grove resident, 40, was born in Madrid, studied art history and worked in the contemporary fine art world at Sotheby’s and other galleries in New York and Madrid. A three-month honeymoon in Colombia with her husband, Inigo, turned into a three-year romance with Latin America. While there, she founded an art auction house in Bogotá and explored the countryside. She discovered the world of edible flowers and came to appreciate the unique flavor they impart to food and beverages.
“That’s when this whole crazy dream started,” says the entrepreneur.
The floral infusion for Una Vodka is a blend of begonia, orange blossom and Madagascar vanilla flowers. “The result is a perfect sip of smooth floral flavor that sets it apart from traditional vodkas,” she says.
Fernández de Mesa was pregnant with her second daughter, Teresa, and a busy mother to Rafaela, now 5, when Una Vodka launched in 2022.
“Having kids gives you a sense of time and the value of time. We said, ‘Let’s do this now,’ because I don’t want to have any regrets.”
The corn-based vodka, distilled in Fort Myers, allows the consumer to taste and smell the flowers, the CEO and founder explains. With a proof of 35%, Una Vodka offers “a super refined sophisticated sipping experience,” she adds.
Fernández de Mesa likes to sip an Una martini — the spirit served on its own — in a cold martini glass. For the holidays, an added splash of something bubbly makes a festive cocktail, she says, and notes that Una Vodka is presented in an artfully designed bottle with a rose-shaped stopper.
The entrepreneur credits her “amazing team of mainly women” for their contributions to the success of her product. “I’m very proud that Una Vodka is crafted in Florida,” she says.