In the world of celebrity spirits, few famous names appear to have the same passion for their business that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have for their Dos Hombres mezcal.
Since 2019, the "Breaking Bad" stars have taken their brand from an idea cooked up over a sushi dinner to one of the top mezcals on the market.
Unlike in their hit AMC drama, where Cranston's Walter White was the mastermind fueling the show's massive meth-dealing operation, it was Paul who was instrumental in launching Dos Hombres.
"If not for Aaron, this business wouldn't take off. It wouldn't have been anything because it was his idea," Cranston tells CNBC Make It.
The duo have worked hard together to promote their brand, touring the country to create awareness and excitement around Dos Hombres, even stopping by Costco locations to surprise shoppers by pouring samples.
Despite the festive atmosphere surrounding their appearances, the pair frequently log long hours on the road taking meetings with accounts and hotel chains as they look to expand Dos Hombres' footprint.
In fact, the process of promoting and spreading their mezcal is not unlike long days spent on set, Paul tells CNBC Make It.
"It really is very similar. You've just got to go out and pound the pavement," Paul says. "The hours are ruthless when we're doing these tours. I mean, I'm not exaggerating that we have these 17 hour days. It's brutal, but we have a good time doing it."
"It's important for Bryan and I, as founders of this company, that [our business partners] know that we are doing the work. We don't want to just slap our names on something and let other people do the work," the 43-year-old "Westworld" star adds. "This is our baby, and we're incredibly proud of our baby."
Cranston calls Dos Hombres a "labor of love," pointing out that neither he nor Paul decided to embark on this endeavor because they were short on cash. Indeed, the pair says that they have thus far only invested money into the business and have yet to make anything back.
We don't want to just slap our names on something and let other people do the work. This is our baby, and we're incredibly proud of our baby.Aaron PaulCo-founder, Dos Hombres
Instead, the 66-year-old says that both he and Paul would have been more than happy to not go into business together if they hadn't found something "we both really love and can be passionate about."
"We don't need jobs. I don't want a job. A job feels awful. But we love to work, and I only want to take on projects in my acting career, producing career, spirits career if I am fully engaged and love the product," Cranston says. "It's a labor of love for us, and it's turning into an incredibly successful business."
But none of this is to say that Paul and Cranston don't have their eye on a payday from Dos Hombres somewhere down the line.
They've seen fellow thespian George Clooney sell his Casamigos tequila company for $1 billion, and are confident they'll recoup their investment at some point down the line.
"We're just keeping our heads down and doing the work. But of course this is a job, this is a business and we want to profit from it one day, but that has not happened yet," Paul says. "But we believe with every fiber of our being that that will 100% happen."
Cranston goes even further, saying that the pair hope that Dos Hombres will one way be the top-selling Mezcal in the world. Until then, he's prepared to continue taking meetings, making appearances and putting in more 17-hour days.
"The common denominator for any successful business is putting in the hours, doing the hard work," Cranston says. "There's no substitute for that. Every businessperson who's successful knows that. There's no magic dust. We don't look for it."
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