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Patrn

SaintJohn Paul Dejoriais Not Only the ManBehind the Tequila

Brand, But a TruePhilanthropist

Agave leads to agape:

Jean Paul DeJoria is

Chairman of Patrn

Spirits Company

and co-founder of

hair care company

John Paul Mitchell

Systems.

His business card readsSuper Proud Owner [o Patrn SpiritsCompany]. John Paul DeJoria, eatured asNo. 66 in Forbesmagazines October 2010list o Richest People in America, with a net

worth o $4.2 billion, is more likely to be worthhis souls weight in gold. He has given backmillions o dollars to a wide variety o meaning-ul causes.

In 1979, he and his riend Paul Mitchell, whowas a hairdresser, decided to combine theirskills and launch their own hair care productcompany. In 1980, they began the businesswith $700, some o which DeJoria borrowedrom his mother. Ater starting his business,DeJoria lived in his car or several weeksand spent only $2.50 a day on ood. He hadno money or advertising and had to rely onhimsel to promote products he believed were

the best available.It was in 1989 that he and the late Martin

Crowley came up with the idea to launch ahand-crated tequila.

Now, the ubiquitous brand, along with itsportolio matesPatrnCitrnge orangeliqueur, Patrn XO Ca, Gran Patrn Platinum,Gran Patrn Burdeos, Pyrat Rums and Ultimat

Vodkais globally recognized and Patrn is theNo.1 ultra-premium, tequila brand.

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UP

Up Front With

John Paul

DejoriaWe meet at DeJorias oceon the 12th foor o John Paul Mitchell SystemsBeverly Hills headquarters. Beautiul women,obviously well-coied, pepper the chic lobbyand oces. Im thankul my own tresses are ingood shapepartially because I had equippedmy own hairdresser with the companys new WildGinger Awapuhi shampoo and conditioner or that

mornings blow-out.DeJorias corner window oce looks out to theHollywood Hills and ramed images that span almostthree decades showcase the entrepreneur witheveryone rom Bill Clinton to Mohammed Ali.

But DeJorias most prized possession, he pointsout, is the Horatio Alger award he received in 2004.Its the only award given in the Supreme Court,DeJoria comments. He picks it up and smiles. It isan honor bestowed on Americans who went throughadversity and achieved ame and success, but whothen circle back to help the planet along the way.

The award, handed to him by Justice ClarenceThomas, was a nod to DeJorias humble beginnings.

He is a rst-generation American (his ather wasrom Italy and his mother rom Greece) who, votedLeast Likely to Succeed at his Los Angeles highschool, became a successul entrepreneur and,ultimately, a philanthropist.

Philanthropy FirstBeore we even get to the subject o Patrn,

DeJoria wants to tell me about his pet project, GrowAppalachia. Its all about what I believe: Successthat is not shared is ailure.

The Appalachian Community Gardening and FoodSecurity Project teaches amilies in West Virginia

by Meridith May / photos by Tom Zasadzinski

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coal mining communities to grow their own ood. ThroughBerea College in Kentucky, more than 100 amilies are living

better, thanks to nutritional education and the ability toharvest rom their own gardens. Theres a limited availabilityo high-quality resh produce in this region, says DeJoria.Through generations, and because o rampant unemploy-ment, a loss o knowledge o gardening, cooking and oodpreservation skills have occurred. Obesity and poor health iswhat were ghting.

Although DeJorias sponsorship continues to purchase theraw materials, rom seed to ertilizer, and pays the way oreverything rom irrigation or the gardens to the key to italleducation, the philanthropist can state proudly: In 2011,2,700 people will be eating o these 100 gardens.

Food4Arica, which eeds thousands o orphaned childrenvitamin-enriched meals every day, is another heartelt

project to which DeJoria has become attached. He has alsosponsored a home or girls in Thailand to rescue them romlives o prostitution. And in Mexico, he created an orphanageand a home or elderly amilies. The list goes on, rom SeaShepherd, an organization that deends ocean lie worldwide,to the St. Bernard Project, an organization that rebuildshomes and lives or Katrina survivors.

Success, Energy and DriveAlthough DeJoria is in his Beverly Hills oce only about

once a month, that doesnt mean his nger is not rmly onthe pulse o both his businesses. His new Paul Mitchell HairCare Systems Wild Ginger Awapuhi is already a cult avorite

with consumers and hairdressers. The proprietary blend otriplex keratin rebuilds hair up to 80 percent with the rst

use, and retains hair color and prevents ading by 65 percentwith 30 percent more shine, explains the entrepreneur, whois as savvy about hair care as about tequila. (As a user myselI can oer a testimonial to the products eectiveness.)

Making appearances at events, appearing on televisionwith Larry King, representing Patrn at Sundance andparticipating in celebrity sports events is part o his lie. Buthis daughter Alexis also plays a connected role. At the wheelo her top alcohol Funny Car, she has passion and drive, too.Sponsored by Patrn Racing (a team that also includes LeMans cars), the raven-haired beauty is qualied to run: Sheranks among the top ten in the world in her class.

DeJoria is generous with his time or this interview, but hewarns me that he has to shoot a new commercial or Patrn.

Whats the message? I ask.Patrns recipe is the same as it was rom the beginning.

And our other message is that we give back.DeJoria is alarmed that some people may think that with it

phenomenal success, Patrns recipe and distillation processhave strayed rom their artisanal beginnings. We make it thesame way, in small batches, he assures us. Lets call it theold-ashioned way.

But, in another way, Patrn does go beyond the norm: Thespecial distillation process takes the waste rom productionthrough reverse osmosis so as not to pollute the land. Itsexpensive, but were in a position where we can do this . . .with honor.