Two Tequila Billionaires Who Won't Be Intimidated by Drug Lords
- Beckmanns want to turn town of Tequila into next Napa Valley
- Jose Cuervo brand set to expand in ultra-premium segment
Don Ismael walks with his horse in the agave Tequilana Blue Webber fields of the Cuervo La Rojeña, S.A. de C.V in Tequila town in Guadalajada, Mexico on Thrusday, Nov.22, 2012. In Mexico there are more than 200 types of agave, but Tequilana Blue Webber variety, use of this variety was made compulsory in the last century to the issuance of the Official Mexican Standard for Tequila production.
Photographer: Susana González /BloombergThe heirs to the family that has run the Jose Cuervo tequila empire for 250 years are mapping plans to transform their dusty Mexican hometown into a ritzy tourist spot, complete with five-star hotels and a cultural center.
In some ways, the marketing appeal of the spot is obvious. The town’s name is, after all, Tequila, and it is here that the liquor was first created in the 16th century out of the blue agave plants that dot Mexico’s central highlands. But there’s just one hitch: A powerful drug cartel operates nearby. Massacres and executions, including the 2013 killing of the state’s top tourism official, aren’t uncommon. Company officials are undaunted; they say the drug lords tend to leave tourists alone and Mexico is a safe destination for travel.