Not only is George Clooney one of the best actors of today, but he is also an entrepreneur. Yes, a lesser-known fact about the Gravity actor is that he was one part of the brain that created a tequila company called Casamigos in 2013. The other parts were his long-time friends, Mike Meldman and Rande Gerber.
George Clooney and Rande Gerber named the company ‘Casamigos’ to honor their houses in Mexico. It did not take Casamigos much time before it became one of the top tequila brands out there. So what inspired the actor to put his highly successful career as an actor aside to create a business from scratch?
Why George Clooney Created ‘Casamigos’
Tequila is not everyone’s cup of tea. You are amongst those who have developed a taste for the alcoholic beverage and truly enjoy it or amongst those who simply cannot down the harsh drink. There is no in-between. George Clooney’s Casamigos was made in order to help those who fall in the latter category.
While drinking tequila one fine day in Mexico, Clooney had a Eureka moment. After drinking all kinds of tequila, which were often disappointing, Clooney thought why not take matters into their own hands and create the perfect tequila for them and those like them
Talking to Business Insider, Rande Gerber stated,
“Casamigos really started by accident as far as a company. As you do in Mexico, we would drink a lot of tequila. We’d go out to bars and restaurants and bartenders would recommend them. Some were good, some not so good, and some expensive. There came a point where George turned to me and said, ‘Why don’t we create one that’s perfect for us?’ We wanted one that didn’t burn going down, that was super smooth, and had the right flavour profile. One that we didn’t have to mix – typically we drink it straight or on the rocks – that we could drink all day long and not be hungover in the morning.”
And that is how Clooney, Gerber, and Mike Meldman developed Casamigos which went on to become the fastest-growing spirits brand of 2022.
George Clooney Sold the Company
Four years after the birth of Casamigos, the company was sold to the multinational beverage company, Diageo, for $700 million upfront and up to $300 million based on its performance in the coming decade. However, in an email to CNBC, Clooney made it crystal clear that they were still a part of the brand, despite the sale. He wrote,
“If you asked us four years ago if we had a billion dollar company, I don’t think we would have said yes. This reflects Diageo’s belief in our company and our belief in Diageo. But we’re not going anywhere. We’ll still be very much a part of Casamigos.”
Even before the successful sale, Casamigos was doing pretty good for itself. Well, ‘pretty good’ might be an understatement. Gerber told Business Insider that after the launch of the brand, Casamigos began winning legitimate awards that are only given to the best of the best. He said, “We started winning awards, which legitimizes you. From then on it gained momentum.”
In just one year (2014-2015), Casamigos ended up doubling its sales from 38,000 nine-litre cases to 80,000. While the product in itself was top-notch, Clooney’s name attached to the label also must have helped take Casamigos to new heights.
Source: Business Insider
