---
title: While Everyone's Talking About Tequila Centinela's U.S. Push, I Pulled the Paperwork on How It Registers a Trademark in the USA
description: Explore Tequila Centinela's trademark journey as it expands into the U.S. market and learn key insights for Latino founders navigating trademark registration.
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 October 9, 2026

# While Everyone's Talking About Tequila Centinela's U.S. Push, I Pulled the Paperwork on How It Registers a Trademark in the USA

![Picture of Pablo Segarra, Esq.](https://www.segarraip.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PabloWritingCover.png?width=50&name=PabloWritingCover.png) By  [Pablo Segarra, Esq.](https://www.segarraip.com/segarraip-blog/author/pablo-segarra-esq)  ·   6 minute read

Trademark Intelligence / The Paperwork / Food and Beverage

While everyone's talking about Tequila Centinela's U.S. push, I went and pulled the actual paperwork. If you're a Latino founder trying to register a trademark in the USA before a distributor deal, this is the most useful filing history you'll read this month: a renewed core mark, two cancelled ones, and a bilingual legacy campaign registered three weeks before the announcement.

| 10 states New U.S. distribution for Tequila Centinela, announced Oct. 6, 2026. Family-owned since 1904. |
| --- |

On October 6, Tequila Centinela, a family-owned tequila house founded in 1904 in Arandas, Jalisco, announced distribution partnerships covering ten states: Reyes Beverage Group in Florida and Texas, Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors in New York, Johnson Brothers in Nevada, Capitol-Husting in Wisconsin, Savannah Distributing in Georgia, Morales Beverage Group in California and South Carolina, InterTrade in Illinois, and Handcrafted Wine & Spirits in Nebraska starting later this month, [per the company's release on BevNET](https://www.bevnet.com/pr/2026/10/06/tequila-centinela-expands-us-presence-through-strategic-distribution-partnerships-builds-on-more-than-120-yrs-of-heritage). "Our story begins in Arandas in 1904," said Armando González, its vice president and managing director for the USA.

Distributors carry the product. The trademark registrations decide who controls the name on the bottle in every one of those states. So I read every USPTO trademark filing in Centinela's name. Here's what the U.S. record shows, what it says about where Centinela is going, and the detail every family brand should notice.

My read up front: Centinela's core name is in good shape, and its new filings show a brand thinking about the U.S. market in two languages. But its history also has two registrations that died for the most ordinary reason in trademark law: nobody filed the maintenance paperwork. Heritage doesn't renew itself.

## What the setup looks like

| Record | Mark | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reg. 3,825,070 | CENTINELA, for tequila. Claimed U.S. first use Aug. 25, 1995 | Registered 2010, renewed 2019 |
| Reg. 5,234,830 | CENTINELA buckle design, for tequila | Registered 2017, Section 8 accepted 2023 |
| Reg. 4,577,533 | CLÁSICO DE CENTINELA, for tequila | Registered 2014, renewed 2024 |
| Reg. 8,430,969 / 8,430,970 | ETERNO CENTINELA MÁS DE 120 AÑOS DE LEGADO, and the English version OVER 120 YEARS OF LEGACY | Both registered Sept. 15, 2026 |
| Serial 99525452 | CENTINELA SUPREMO HIGHLANDS OF ARANDAS OVER 120 YEARS OF LEGACY | Final refusal issued July 27, 2026 |
| Serial 99525422 | CENTINELA SUPREMO FORJADO EN ARANDAS MÁS DE 120 AÑOS DE LEGADO | Office action April 6; response time extended |

The core word mark, [CENTINELA, Reg. No. 3,825,070](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn77900731), is the asset that matters most for the distributors, and it's healthy: registered in 2010, its six-year declaration and incontestability filing accepted in 2015, renewed in 2019. Its next renewal window opens in July 2029. [CLÁSICO DE CENTINELA](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn86061065) was renewed in 2024, and the buckle design mark, [Reg. No. 5,234,830](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn86921583), cleared its six-year declaration in 2023.

## The decoded plan: a bilingual legacy story, filed fast

On December 2, 2025, Centinela filed four new U.S. applications, each claiming priority from a Mexican application filed November 11, 2025. Two are the same legacy slogan in two languages: [ETERNO CENTINELA MÁS DE 120 AÑOS DE LEGADO](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525459) and [ETERNO CENTINELA OVER 120 YEARS OF LEGACY](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525472). Both registered on September 15, 2026, for alcoholic beverages except beers, three weeks before the distribution news.

Two things in those filings are worth copying. First, the foreign priority claim. A company that files at home can file in the U.S. within six months and borrow its home filing date, [under 15 U.S.C. § 1126(d)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1126). Second, the goods description. The core marks say tequila. The new ones say alcoholic beverages except beers, a much wider lane for a brand that may want room to grow.

## How do you register a trademark in the USA when your brand already exists in Mexico?

| **You file a U.S. application with the USPTO, either on use in U.S. commerce, intent to use, or a foreign filing or registration under Section 44.** If you filed in Mexico within the last six months, you can claim that earlier date as your U.S. priority date. Your Mexican registration does not protect you in the U.S. by itself; trademark rights are national, and the U.S. registration has to be maintained on its own schedule. |
| --- |

That last point is the one family brands miss. The paperwork in Mexico, the paperwork in the U.S., and the label on the bottle all run on different calendars. The person who used to keep track of them may be the same tío who retired five years ago.

## The smoking gun: two cancelled registrations

In 2002, Centinela registered a CENTINELA design mark, [Reg. No. 2,558,210](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn76114147), for a broad list of alcoholic beverages: distilled liquor, wine, liqueurs, brandy, gin, whiskey, vodka, rum, tequila and more. It was cancelled on January 17, 2009, because no acceptable Section 8 declaration was filed. Federal law requires that declaration between the fifth and sixth year after registration, with a six-month grace period, or the registration is cancelled, [under 15 U.S.C. § 1058](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1058).

Then [CENTINELA FUNDADA EN 1904, Reg. No. 3,933,482](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn77911013), registered in 2011 with "Fundada en 1904" disclaimed, was cancelled on October 27, 2017, for the same reason. The record shows a courtesy reminder went out in March 2016. Today 1904 is the center of the brand story. The registration that carried it lapsed nine years ago, and the legacy message came back in 2025 as "120 years of legacy."

| The year on the label is heritage. The year on the maintenance calendar is ownership. |
| --- |

To be fair to Centinela, letting a registration go is sometimes a choice. Packaging changes, a logo retires, and a lapsed design mark may have been replaced by newer filings. The core word mark stayed alive the whole time. But a broad, all-spirits registration from 2002 would have been a useful document to have in a drawer during a ten-state expansion.

## The detail still in motion: SUPREMO

The other two December filings are for a CENTINELA SUPREMO line. The English version, [Serial No. 99525452](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525452), received a final refusal on July 27, 2026, after the applicant responded to a first office action. The Spanish version, [Serial No. 99525422](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525422), got a first office action on April 6, and the response deadline was extended in July. I couldn't open the office actions themselves from the public viewer, so I'm not going to guess at the grounds. A final refusal can still be answered with a request for reconsideration or an appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

What it tells you is where the brand wants to go: a premium tier built around Arandas and the Highlands. Watch whether that name reaches the shelf as filed, changes wording, or launches unregistered.

## Here's what I'd check before a family brand signs U.S. distributors

Whether you're about to register a trademark in the USA for the first time or you've held one for decades, the distribution deal is the moment to audit it. This is the list I'd work through.

| 1 | Every live registration, by owner. Confirm each U.S. registration sits in the right company, the one signing the distribution agreements, and not a founder, a family member or an old importer. |
| --- | --- |
| 2 | The maintenance calendar, five years out. Section 8 declarations and renewals for every mark, with two people responsible. A USPTO trademark renewal is a filing you can calendar a decade ahead. |
| 3 | What the goods descriptions cover. Tequila, or alcoholic beverages generally? If a ready-to-drink cocktail or a new agave spirit is coming, the core registration may not reach it. |
| 4 | Pending applications behind new products. If a premium line is launching under a name that's still under refusal, decide whether to launch, rename or wait before the distributor prints sell sheets. |
| 5 | What the distribution agreement says about the brand. Distributors should get the right to sell, not rights in the name. Check marketing approvals, territory, and what happens to inventory and point-of-sale materials if the relationship ends. |

## What a trademark here does and doesn't own

Centinela's registrations own CENTINELA and its legacy slogans as brands for spirits in the U.S. They don't own Arandas, the Highlands, the word tequila, or 1904 as a fact of history, and the old registration disclaimed "Fundada en 1904" outright. Anyone can say where they come from. Only the owner can use CENTINELA on spirits.

| Generations built the name. Paperwork decides who keeps it. |
| --- |

So next time you see Centinela on a shelf in Texas or a back bar in New York, you'll know what's behind it: a core mark that's been carefully kept, a new bilingual story registered right before the push, a premium line still in examination, and two lapsed registrations that are a reminder for every family brand crossing the border. Now you know what's coming.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### ¿Puedo registrar una marca en Estados Unidos si ya está registrada en México?

Sí. Your Mexican registration doesn't protect the brand in the U.S., so you file a separate application with the USPTO. If you file within six months of your Mexican application, you can claim the Mexican filing date as your U.S. priority date.

### What happens if I miss a USPTO trademark renewal or Section 8 filing?

The USPTO cancels the registration after the deadline and the six-month grace period pass, and you'd have to register a trademark in the USA again from scratch. You may still have rights from use, but you lose the registration's benefits and must file a new application, with a new filing date.

### Do distributors need to see my trademark registration?

Many ask for it, and they should. A registration shows who owns the brand they're investing in. Make sure the registered owner matches the company signing the agreement.

| Segarra IP PLLC · Legacy Lockdown Your family built the name. Lock it down before the next market. Legacy Lockdown audits a family brand's ownership, registrations and maintenance calendar before an expansion, a distribution deal or a sale. [Ask about Legacy Lockdown](https://www.segarraip.com/trademark-registration-guide) |
| --- |

## Sources

| [BevNET, Tequila Centinela expands U.S. presence through distribution partnerships (Oct. 6, 2026)](https://www.bevnet.com/pr/2026/10/06/tequila-centinela-expands-us-presence-through-strategic-distribution-partnerships-builds-on-more-than-120-yrs-of-heritage) |
| --- |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA, Reg. No. 3,825,070 (Serial 77900731)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn77900731) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA buckle design, Reg. No. 5,234,830 (Serial 86921583)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn86921583) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CLÁSICO DE CENTINELA, Reg. No. 4,577,533 (Serial 86061065)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn86061065) |
| [USPTO TSDR, ETERNO CENTINELA MÁS DE 120 AÑOS DE LEGADO, Reg. No. 8,430,969 (Serial 99525459)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525459) |
| [USPTO TSDR, ETERNO CENTINELA OVER 120 YEARS OF LEGACY, Reg. No. 8,430,970 (Serial 99525472)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525472) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA SUPREMO HIGHLANDS OF ARANDAS..., Serial 99525452](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525452) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA SUPREMO FORJADO EN ARANDAS..., Serial 99525422](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn99525422) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA design, Reg. No. 2,558,210, cancelled 2009 (Serial 76114147)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn76114147) |
| [USPTO TSDR, CENTINELA FUNDADA EN 1904, Reg. No. 3,933,482, cancelled 2017 (Serial 77911013)](https://tsdr.uspto.gov/statusview/sn77911013) |
| [15 U.S.C. § 1058, declarations of continued use (Cornell LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1058) |
| [15 U.S.C. § 1126(d), foreign priority (Cornell LII)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1126) |

Pablo Segarra, Esq. is a trademark attorney and the founder of Segarra IP PLLC, a federal trademark firm for Latino founders and creators behind growing brands.

General information, not legal advice.

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