Dwayne Johnson has excelled in every criterion he entered. After winning over the wrestling and acting world, he entered the business venture with his own production company, Seven Bucks Production in 2012, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia. However, this was just the beginning, as he continued collaborating with already popular brands and launching his own ventures.
In 2020, the Black Adam star launched Teremana Tequila. But was his idea to launch a tequila brand original, or he took it from another successful actor who also had a similar business venture?
Dwayne Johnson’s Massively Successful Tequila Brand
Before becoming a superstar actor, Dwayne Johnson made a name for himself in wrestling as he triumphed in multiple WWE championships. He then turned to acting, and after winning billions of hearts with his on-screen performances, the Jumanji star launched his tequila brand, Teremana Tequila in 2020, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and friends Jenna Fagnan and Ken Austin.
His popularity as a sports and movie star proved to be helpful to establish this as a premium tequila brand and had record-breaking sales of 600,000 nine-liter cases in its first years. The brand is also known for using traditional ways of production. According to its official website, the naturally sweet agave is slowly roasted in “small traditional ovens, and [distilled] in handmade copper pot stills.”
The Rock described his love for tequila as an inspiration for venturing into the liquor business. He shared that he always wanted to start a liquor business but was unable to execute it. So, when the opportunity came, he held onto it and launched Teremana Tequila.
The brand name, Teremana Tequila, also pays tribute to his Polynesian roots, as the word ‘Tere’ means Earth, and ‘mana’ means spirit, making Teremana the Spirit of the Earth. Although his tequila brand became a hit soon after its launch, the Baywatch star was unsure if this business would work.
However, with his vision to provide the best quality at the most affordable prices, Dwayne Johnson’s brand did turn out well and became the most affordable celebrity-endorsed tequila in the market. Its net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 billion. However, it was not the first celebrity-owned tequila brand to achieve tremendous success.
Was George Clooney’s Casamigos the Inspiration Behind Teremana Tequila?
Before Dwayne Johnson launched Teremana Tequila, superstar actor George Clooney also had a very successful tequila brand, Casamigos. Founded in 2013, Casamigos became one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the world. The Gravity star founded the brand with his two friends, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, in an effort to find the “perfect” tequila for themselves.
They had no initial plans to make it public and only circulated it among their friends and family. But they had to get it licensed when they were left with no other option. Rande Gerber described it saying, “We wanted to keep drinking it.”
The brand name, Casamigos, was also inspired by their friendship, translating to the ‘House of friends.’ Garber also said that they did not care if the business was successful or not, but they continued to focus on the quality of their product.
Its success led the British multinational alcoholic beverage company, Diageo, to offer a $1 billion deal to acquire Casamigos in 2017. Diageo agreed to pay $700 million initially and a further $300 million based on the brand’s performance. George Clooney, who received $239 million from the deal, became the highest-paid actor, despite not having any active projects at the time.
Source: The Things
