George Clooney has done pretty well for himself over the years:
He’s been a leading man on TV shows like ER and movies like Batman & Robin…
He’s earned Academy Awards for acting and producing…
And he’s had huge commercial success with the Ocean’s trilogy.
All that success has helped pad his bank account quite nicely…
But last week, he had some success outside of Hollywood — and it led him to a $233 million payday.
In the next few minutes, I’ll show you the secret to Clooney’s windfall…
Then I’ll explain how you could use the same secret for yourself.
No Hangover
A few years ago, Clooney built a vacation home in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico…
And his buddy Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s husband) built a place next door.
As one does in Mexico, soon they were drinking tequila — a lot of tequila.
Some of those tequilas were good, some were not so good…
But not one of them was perfect.
So Clooney and Gerber decided to take matters into their own hands:
They spent two years searching for the perfect tequila — one that didn’t have a nasty aftertaste, or leave them too hungover.
After sampling 700 of them, they hit the jackpot with a distiller in Jalisco, Mexico.
At first, they made just enough hooch for their own (considerable) consumption. But once they hit 1,000 bottles a year, the distiller said they’d need to get it licensed.
So, somewhat reluctantly, they started a tequila company.
They called it Casamigos.
Casamigos Grows
After launching to the public in 2013, Casamigos hit a nerve:
It quickly became one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the world.
According to Ad Age, it doubled its sales between 2014 and 2015. And by 2016, it was selling 120,000 cases a year.
Gerber says he and Clooney still taste every batch, so they must be as drunk as skunks.
And now they’re rich as skunks, too…
Diageo Comes Knocking
You see, last week, it was announced that Casamigos was being acquired.
The acquirer is a spirits house called Diageo, which also owns such brands as Johnnie Walker scotch, Tanqueray gin and Ketel One vodka.
The price tag? Up to $1 billion.
On this one deal, Clooney took home an estimated $233 million. That’s probably more than he’s made from his 78 films and shows combined.
But enough about Clooney.
Now it’s time to look at how success like this could be yours…
These Spirits Are Rich
Currently, fortunes are being made in the spirits sector — and with good reason:
Alcohol is one of the largest markets in the U.S. Every year, it rings up $200 billion in sales, with spirits making up about 37% of that sum, or nearly $80 billion.
With so much money at stake, it’s no surprise this market sees so many takeovers.
Since 2014, for example, Diageo has bought at least two other tequila brands: California-based Peligroso and Mexico-based DeLeon…
Jim Bean bought a Margarita mix called “Skinny Girl” for an estimated $100 million…
And a big liquor distributor called Pernod paid $100 million to buy up the majority of tequila company Avion.
The founders and investors in those companies made out like banditos.
But as Wayne wrote about last month, ordinary crowdfunding investors like you are bringing home huge profits from booze investments, too:
For example, when a craft brewery called BrewDog was acquired for $213 million, investors like you took home profits of 2,765%.
Did you miss your shot on BrewDog?
Not to worry:
Now you’ve got at least three more shots lined up for you at the bar.
Three “Shots” To Make Some Money
Several liquor start-ups are currently raising money from investors like you.
Here are three of them that caught my eye:
Palmia — This is a 90-calorie lemon-infused lager.
Palmia will be carried in 1,800 Target stores by next year. It believes the market is ready for a “craft” alternative to artificially-sweetened beer like Bud Light Lime.
Avua — This is a spirit called cachaça. It’s from Brazil, derived from sugarcane.
Avua was one of Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 50 spirits.” It earned nearly $1 million in 2016, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Esquire.
Quila Maria’s Tequila Ria — Tequila & Ready-to-Drink Margaritas.
This is the award-winning tequila maker of “Tequila Blue Head.” Now it’s gearing up to make ready-to-drink margaritas, which it reports is the “#1 selling cocktail in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores in the US for more than 20 years.”
Good Place To Start
To be clear, I’m not recommending that you run out and invest in these start-ups.
These are risky ventures and they require substantial investment research.
But if you’re intrigued about “taking a shot” on this fast-growing sector, they’re a good place to start your research.
Happy cocktailing — and happy investing!
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with any of the platforms or companies we write about. Crowdability is an independent provider of education, information and research on start-ups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
