Today we’d like to introduce you to Sacha Desdames Mora.
Sacha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Having grown up in a multicultural household, and being a child of a blended family, I learned from a young age various ways of communication and connecting with people. By age 13, I spoke three languages: Spanish, French, and English.
After living abroad during my early youth, my family relocated to Central Florida, where I finished High School. I always wanted to study something with International appeal and opted for something in the field of Business. After earning a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from the University of Florida, I worked in Orlando in Luxury Retail sales, for St. John Knits Inc, then decided to move to Miami.
Here I worked and grew into what I like to call a “lifetime” career, as a Store Manager of Walgreens Pharmacy Retailer, for over 18 years. Here, I learned lifetime skills of Leading teams, Coaching, Mentoring, and Leading change in a plethora of organizational changes.
Some of the other skills I acquired were Inventory management, Sales and profit optimization, and Human Resources. I also led Community involvement in health initiatives for several years, along with my partner Pharmacists.
In 2019, I left Retail pharmacy to join Mora’s Liquors & Spirits, a Company I Co-Founded with my Husband in 2014, after we acquired a second location. It was the biggest decision and challenge of my life, leaving something I loved to do and was so familiar with. Location #1 was already successful, and there was much for me to learn on how to build and start from Zero.
Then, the Covid Pandemic came in early 2020! After only being in the Liquor and Spirits industry for a few months, my learning curve had to become very steep and accelerated, and we had to quickly adapt our business model to have the capacity for e-commerce.
After several dialogue sessions with our entire Team, and brainstorming with different people in the industry, I decided it was time for our stores to become equipped to sell all types of Spirits online via the Online Alcohol Delivery platform Drizly.
My team and I did the initial rollout at one of our locations, then began with the other location a few months later. By then, it was time to convert our website to allow our customers to shop, and also download an application on their phones.
I am glad to say it has been a very thrilling path, the past few years, in building our Brand. We work with a very supportive network. This ranges from our Consultants to the Market or Area Managers, Brand Managers and Suppliers, and last, but not least, our Customers, and our community.
If you are willing to listen to what your consumer says, he/she can teach you many things, and also help you expand your consumer segments. Online platforms and Social media have allowed us to work seamlessly with leading liquor brands, introduce emerging brands, and connect better with our local community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the obstacles I face in this industry are obstacles women may face in any industry. It has been male-dominated for a long time, but I feel there is a shift in how we look at Spirits. Many women now hold positions as CEOs, founders, and owners of Liquor brands, as well as master distillers.
In order for this to continue, I feel it is very important for women to support each other in whatever position they are in, so they may continue to excel, and also surpass what is expected of them in performance or execution. The entire ecosystem in the industry is responsible for helping with this change.
I have learned so much from the entire network that feeds life into our Liquor stores. Challenges present themselves in the form of long, tedious hours for you and your team. In addition, customer retention can become challenging with uncontrollable such as products being out of stock due to problems with production or supply.
Another challenge is constantly having your Inventory as what I call “live inventory” so it can link to your various online platforms, but this is a challenge that with timely communication, persistence, and Teamwork, can be easily managed. Our team is constantly looking out for how to better serve the customers.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Mora’s Liquors and Spirits I and II are Family Owned and operated in the Heart of Miami. Location #1 is located in the heart of Little Havana, and Location #2 is near Coral Gables in the very well-known Calle 8.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The parts I enjoy the most about my current position, are being able to connect with consumers, partnering with various groups in their events when possible, and doing Private Barrel Selections with different Brands. It exposes our Brand and brings in a wider audience of consumers to our Liquor stores.
We have also been able to diversify our product selections due to e-commerce demands, and an ever-growing demand for luxury or higher-end Spirits. Consumers have learned how to drink differently, and they are willing to experiment more with brands, and also spend more while in the comfort of their homes.
I cannot truly say there is much I dislike about the Liquor industry, apart from the lack of inventory that has been plaguing the industry since the pandemic but seems to be improving. Every stock on a product causes a lack of service to a consumer, and I look at it as a missed opportunity.
However, our teams try very hard to offer a solution one way or another either via a substitute product or by recommending something completely different and gaining customer loyalty.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.morasliquors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morasliquors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morasliquors
- Other: https://drizly.com/mora-s-liquors-spirits-2/s6646
Image Credits
Mora’s Liquors and Friend Karina Monne
