Cuervo for Sale?

I no sooner posted the piece below on South America when my inbox lit up with stories about the possible sale of Jose Cuervo International.

(In case you don’t know, the brand(s) are owned by the Beckmann family and distributed worldwide by Diageo.)

Both Buffalo Trace Newsletter and Wine and Spirits Daily had special additions on Sunday reporting that the Beckmann family was in talks to appoint Barclays to explore a possible $2 billion sale of all or part of the Jose Cuervo brand.

I heard from a wide range of people who know the brand and the players well. Their opinions on the matter were all over the place, but very interesting.

Some wondered about the low price…

“As recently as a few years ago, they bragged about a $5 billion price tag …$2 billion must be for part and not the production or for limited worldwide distribution…seems crazy.”

The more cynical views had to do with the historic combative nature of the relationship between Cuervo and Diageo…

“I once heard a senior Diageo executive say that if Patron were available, they would gladly overpay for it in order not to have to deal with the Beckmanns any longer.”

“Diageo’s recent poor performance on the brand now looks like a strategy to keep the value low in order to buy the Beckmanns out.”

My own view is that it could be (as WSD suggests) based on a preemptive move against the possible sale of Sauza, although count me among those who think Beam Global will remain in tact and flourish in the future. Perhaps it’s a warning shot to Diageo to pick up the pace since their contract comes to an end in a few years.

What I can’t understand is where Proximo (also owned by Beckmann family members) fits in the equation. They are doing well and could easily handle the addition of Cuervo to the portfolio. But, their strength is strictly in the US. So, perhaps the low price tag is for international distribution.

One thing for sure is that the Beckmanns are shrewd and unpredictable so who knows what they have in mind.