If you like buying beer at H-E-B, ordering a spicy margarita at a local restaurant, or bringing home a bottle of red wine for dinner when you stop for lunch, you can thank Rebecca and John Hatch, longtime Buda community activists and owners of Proof Liquor & Deli.
The two began their love story as civil servants. Rebecca was working for the Texas General Land Office and John on the campaign trail. Thirty-five years and three kids later, they have given back to Hays County in more ways than one as they’ve expanded their business.
“We are community and faith-driven, which I know sounds funny because we own liquor stores,” says Rebecca Gibson Hatch. “But we do try to put our money where our mouth is. We want to be partners in the community.”
Raising two sons and a daughter in Buda, the Hatches have served on numerous parent-teacher associations, booster clubs, youth sports associations and boards. John was the former Chair of the Chamber of Commerce and Rebecca is now on the Hays County Food Bank board of directors.
“My favorite thing about Buda is it’s still got that small-town feel,” Rebecca says. “The town leaders have allowed us to keep that way of life, which sets Buda apart.”
The power couple just opened their third liquor store in Burleson. They came to the liquor business by way of a petition to change the laws regulating alcohol sales in Buda.
In 2003, after the successful effort to allow sales of beer and wine in Buda, they created Texas Petition Strategies (TPS). “That’s how we knew there was an opportunity to open liquor stores.”
John and Rebecca bought his business partner out of TPS in 2015 and have been the sole owners since then. TPS has conducted more than 500 petition drives.
Before 1999, Buda was a dry town. Since then, there have been several different alcohol elections in the area. In November 2012, voters passed Proposition 1, legalizing standalone bars and liquor stores within city limits, changing Buda’s status from a “damp” to “wet” city.
Proof, one of the first liquor stores in Buda, opened in 2015 and was bought by the Hatches in 2023. But first, they opened Crystal Springs Liquor in Winona in 2011. This year, they opened a second Proof Liquor and Deli location – a 9,000-foot liquor store in Burleson, where they are “feverishly” working to open the deli at that location.
Proof’s artisanal sandwiches are another community service. From the spicy pickles in the Angry Byrd turkey sandwich, Rebecca’s favorite, to the Hammy Sammy with fried shallots–John’s number one go to. They also make house-made soups, empanadas, salads and desserts from 11am-9pm Monday through Saturday. This spring, Proof was named the “Foodie Favorite” by the Greater Buda Chamber of Commerce and the Buda Economic Development Council.
As longtime members of the Buda United Methodist Church, the Hatches believe that the more they give back to the community, the more blessed they will be. Their civil service roots are a testament to the community values by which they run their business. To that end, they always provide a family and friends’ discount to veterans and first responders.
When asked about their number one way to support the community, Rebecca didn’t hesitate to call out the public schools. In addition to the countless volunteer hours they put in while their kids were in school, the Hatches are big supporters of the Hays Education Foundation, individual school campuses and organizations in and around Buda. They are also proud parents of a teacher.
They attribute the Hays Consolidated Independent School District for the success of all of their children: John Robert is a systems engineer in North Carolina, Gibson and his wife Megan are attorneys in Wisconsin (who gave them their first grandchild) and their daughter, Hannah, a social studies teacher at Lehman High School in Kyle.
“We are very pro public schools,” she says. “We believe that supporting our public school system is more than a political issue. It is an economic issue. A good public education is what brings good people to town.”
For more information, visit www.proofliquoranddeli.com/buda.
“My favorite thing about Buda is it’s still got that small-town feel. The town leaders have allowed us to keep that way of life, which sets Buda apart.”
“We are very pro public schools. We believe that supporting our public school system is more than a political issue. It is an economic issue. A good public education is what brings good people to town.”