Additive Free Alliance (AFA) has relaunched as an independent, nonprofit entity with a board of directors and a new mission, according to a press release. The move was in response to what the company describes as “overwhelming consumer demand” for increased transparency in the labeling of not just tequila, but various other spirits.
The AFA was initially founded in 2020 by tequila transparency advocacy site Tequila Matchmaker. This relaunch marks a new chapter for the AFA, following the March 2024 raid on Tequila Matchmaker cofounders Grover and Scarlet Sanschagrin’s Jalisco home on behalf of the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT).
Now based in Kentucky, the new AFA — which has filed for nonprofit 501(c)(3) status with the IRS — has expanded to include additive-free certifications for other agave-based spirits and agave-adjacent products, according to the release. These include raicilla and mezcal, with products like agave syrups and other agave-related products expected to join the Alliance soon. The first product to receive this new certification is Weber Ranch 1902 Vodka, which was developed by the team that created Patrón and is distilled from 100 percent agave.
“Consumers are increasingly thoughtful and deliberate about the products they purchase and the food and drink they consume, particularly in a world filled with misinformation and clever marketing,” said Lee Applbaum, president and COO of Weber Ranch Vodka parent company Round 2 Spirits, in the release. “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.”
The AFA currently has over 100 brands, approximately 400 products, over 125 retail partners, and 42 distilleries in participation. Each brand and distillery that elects to join the AFA agrees for each of their products sold in U.S. retail stores to undergo independent Liquid Chromatography lab analysis conducted by AFA. This liquid evaluation, in addition to a sensorial analysis, is designed to confirm these spirits are free of additives including artificial flavors and sweeteners, glycerin, propylene glycol, and sugar.
As Nosotros Tequila founder Carlos Soto explained in the release, the newly expanded AFA will rely exclusively on lab-based testing to confirm whether products are additive-free. Representatives from the Alliance will no longer be required to visit distilleries in person, opening the door for more brands and distilleries to potentially receive certification. Instead, each participant in the Alliance covers lab-related expenses themselves, and following their first anniversary in the program, they’ll pay a fee to AFA to assist with random lab testing and operational costs.
“It’s important to note that the AFA is not against brands that use additives,” says Grover, who’s also board president at the AFA, in the release. “From the very beginning, our goal was simply to seek transparency in product labeling. The AFA is not a regulator or an official certification. We’re an independent organization of likeminded member companies that are committed to transparency, community, and honesty.”
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