Hollywood icon? Nailed it. Political activist? Oh, for sure. Tequila legend? George Clooney didn’t just dabble in the tequila biz—he straight-up owned it. In 2017, Clooney, with his friends, sold Casamigos, their tequila brand, to Diageo for a jaw-dropping $1 billion. And guess what? Clooney became 2018’s highest-paid actor without even stepping in front of a camera.
The craziest part? Casamigos wasn’t even planned. It all started with Clooney and his best friend Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s husband) kicking back at their Mexico vacation homes. After suffering through overpriced and downright terrible tequila, Clooney hit Gerber with the ultimate challenge: “Why don’t we just make our own?” And just like that, tequila history was in the making.
What began as a fun little project spiraled into a two-year tequila-tasting journey with 700 samples tested and friends playing guinea pigs. The mission? Create a tequila that’s smooth, burn-free, and hangover-proof. By the end, they had something so good that George Clooney and Gerber couldn’t keep it just for themselves.
At first, Casamigos was just for them and their friends. But when their distiller pointed out they were ordering 1,000 bottles (whoops), they had to go professional. Enter Mike Meldman, their real estate guru buddy, who helped launch Casamigos as a brand in 2013. It took off faster than Clooney on a Ducati.
Fast forward to 2017, and Diageo came knocking with a $1 billion deal—$700 million upfront, with the rest based on performance. Clooney kept it classy: “If you told us four years ago we’d have a billion-dollar company, we’d probably laugh… Starting with a shot tonight. Maybe two.”
Gerber swears it wasn’t about the money. “George didn’t need it, I didn’t need it,” he said. They just wanted great tequila that everyone could enjoy. But hey, if it makes a billion along the way? No complaints.
From Hollywood heartthrob to tequila tycoon— George Clooney’s Casamigos story is one smooth ride. Cheers to that!
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