It starts with a man who loved the water (and tequila).
Davo is named for Dave Kronen, who swam and surfed off the beaches of Santa Barbara. Laura Kronen, his wife, started Asunción Spirits as a way to transition to her next chapter. In the process, she found healing and life after heartbreak. Laura’s journey led her to craft Davo small-batch, estate grown, artisanal, premium sipping tequila. It’s crafted by the people of Hacienda Capellanía, in the highlands of Jalisco.
The Man.
Dave “Davo” Kronen · The Inspiration
Dave, known to family and friends as “Davo,” spent decades surfing, swimming, and celebrating life on the beaches of Santa Barbara. He was always the last to leave a party and the first to welcome everyone in.
Dave helped found The Friendship Paddle, completing the annual paddle for ten years — until he no longer could — to raise funds for those battling life-threatening illness. As paddlers emerged from the cold Pacific, a cherished tradition awaited: a shot of tequila and a toast to the honorees, the volunteers, and the spirit of giving that brought everyone together.
During Dave’s illness, friends and family gathered every week for “Thirsty Thursdays,” where tequila was shared, stories were told, and the door was always open to anyone in need of companionship.
“Life is good. Remember that.”
Dave, “Davo”
The Dove.
Asunción · The Company · The Icon
During a trip to France after Dave’s passing, a single dove showed up on Laura’s hotel balcony every day, evidence that he was always with her. Naturally, she named him “Davo” after Dave.
For Laura, the ascending dove is a symbol of Dave’s enduring spirit — a reminder that the greatest legacies are measured by the lives we touch and the memories we share.
Asunción comes from Latin roots meaning to take up or rise. Spiritually speaking, it relates to transcendence: rising above physical limits and entering a higher state of existence. Asunción Spirits got its name from this Spanish word. The company logo features an ascending dove with tail feathers appearing as agave leaves. It’s embossed on every bottle of Davo tequila.
The Founder.
Laura Kronen · Asuncion Spirits
After suffering a great loss, Laura had a longing in her heart to create. To give. To connect. To bring beauty into other people’s lives. That longing became Asuncion Spirits — born from memory, life, resilience, and hope.
A way to bring people together around the moments that matter most: the old memories we hold close, and the new ones we have yet to make.
“Naming our premium tequila Davo after Dave wasn’t just a tribute. It was the moment I understood that honoring him and building something new — Asunción Spirits and Davo — weren’t two different paths. They were the same one.”
Laura Kronen · Founder, Asuncion Spirits
The Makers.
Hacienda Capellanía · Altos Sur de Jalisco
Davo is grown, distilled, and bottled at Hacienda Capellanía in San José de Gracia, in the Altos Sur highlands of Jalisco. It’s owned and operated by the Contreras family who grew up on this estate and learned the craft of making tequila from generations before them. The Hacienda’s original stone farmhouse, stables, and the original deep water well — used to water fruit orchards and agave fields — still stand today. The Contreras brothers built a new distillery facility in 2003, adjacent to the agave fields and orchards.
The Dávalos brothers manage the steps of the Davo distilling process. They initiate fermentation, using their proprietary culture of natural and wild endemic yeasts made expressly for Davo. They monitor this open air process as well as the aging step in American White Oak barrels. This work gives each Davo flavor expression its unique tasting notes. Davo salutes the long friendship between the Contreras family and Dávalos brothers and their teamwork as equals and partners in bringing Davo Tequila to the world.
How Davo is made