In 2013, three friends had the idea of launching a tequila brand that they had been working on for years. Their goal was to make a tequila so tasty and smooth that no salt or lime was needed to mitigate its taste. And that idea was a success. The three colleagues were none other than the actor George Clooney, the businessman Rande Gerber – husband of Cindy Crawford – and the real estate developer Mike Meldman. They called it Casamigos, and the business was more than profitable. So much so that, in 2017, the British distillery Diageo bought the brand for 1 billion dollars (905 million euros). Now it is the 58-year-old supermodel who has decided to try her luck in the world of spirits under the same umbrella: Casamigas, a 100% Weber blue agave tequila, with a natural jalapeño flavor. Rande Gerber himself, 61 years old, and with whom Crawford said “I do” in 1998, has been in charge of designing the bottle, which includes an image of his wife's lips, as well as the characteristic mole of the mannequin
It was precisely because of George Clooney's million-dollar idea that countless celebrities decided to try their luck in the alcoholic beverage business. At first, the boom was that of agave spirits, that is, tequila or mezcal: the singer Justin Timberlake acquired Sauza 901 in 2015, a line premium triple distilled tequila; Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5, created his own, Santo Mezquila, around the same time. Then came Michael Jordan, Maluma and Dwayne Johnson, whose tequila, Teremana, became the fastest growing in history, selling 600,000 nine-liter cases in 2012, a year after its launch. Whiskey is the other liquor that has seduced many celebrities. This is the case of actors Matthew McConaughey (Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon) or Jamie Foxx (Brown Sugar Bourbon), singers Bob Dylan (Heaven's Door Whiskey) and Drake (Virginia Black Whiskey) or David Beckham (Whisky High Club).
Casamigas Jalapeño, the newest addition to the Casamigos family, is inspired by Crawford's favorite drink: Casamigos Margarita. “A few years ago, Rande and I were watching the sunset on our dock and talked about how fun it would be for me to make a spicy tequila. Ready, Casamigas was born,” she declared to Forbes the model, who was in charge of announcing this April 8 her new project in your Instagram account, in which he accumulates more than eight million followers. “Cindy has obviously been part of the Casamigos journey from day one, and I'm excited that she can now bring her special touches to Casamigas,” Rande Gerber told the same outlet.
It is true that women have become less involved in the alcohol business, perhaps because most celebrities still find it more profitable to invest in seemingly healthier businesses, whether it is that large box that encompasses lifestyle, such as the case of Gwyneth Paltrow and her all-powerful Goop brand, or more specific businesses linked to fashion or cosmetics.
Still, they also exist. Actress Kate Hudson was one of its pioneers and in 2019 she launched King St. Vodka, which she named after the location of her former home in New York, where she used to throw dinner and cocktail parties. . She has been joined by others: Cameron Diaz created Avaline in 2020, a white and rosé wine company; Drew Barrymore also has a collection of his own wines, made in Monterrey, since 2013; Jennifer Lopez took out her spritz under the name DeLola in 2023, and also that year Emma Watson announced the launch of her Renais gin, a project she shares with her brother Alex.
Cindy Crawford is the latest to join the trend with her Casamigas tequila and, if her business acumen remains the same, it is highly likely that the idea will become another success. According to magazine Forbes, Crawford continues to be one of the richest supermodels in the world, although her profitability is no longer solely due to fashion and beauty campaigns. Her fortune, today, is estimated at 225 million dollars (about 207 million euros) and part of her success is due to her line of anti-aging cosmetics called Meaningful Beauty, which she launched in 2004. Like her husband with spirits, Crawford knew how to see the vein of union between celebrities and the world of beauty, which would later be imitated by so many others, from Rihanna to the Kardashians. Since 2005, the supermodel also has a decoration line, Cindy Crawford Home Collection, which sells furniture in the US and Canada.
Her fortune is joined by that of her husband and father of her two children (Presley and Kaia). Rande Gerber, 61, also started in the fashion industry when the Ford Models agency signed her when she was just 16 years old, which made her walk on various European catwalks during her youth. However, her work life changed when she had the opportunity to manage the bars of the hotel network. boutique by real estate developer Ian Schrager (one of the co-founders of the iconic Studio 54). From that experience was born the Gerber Group, a company specialized in high-flying nighttime businesses: theirs are the emblematic The Whiskey in the Paramount Hotel in New York, the Armani Café by Giorgio Armani in cities such as Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, or the bars of the W Hotels, the luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International, among many others. In 2008, Rande Gerber handed the reins of the business to his brother Scott, who continues to run it, since he wanted to focus on launching a tequila brand. As we mentioned at the beginning, the jump went well. The new launch of Casamigas seems to be another of the very good ideas of the Gerber-Crawford couple.
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