Rande Gerber has made a living out of having a good time. He came to prominence in the 1990s by building a Rande nightlife empire, creating scene-y South Beach spots and hip hotel bars, many of the latter in concert with legendary hotelier Ian Schrager. “I never really thought about getting into the restaurant or bar business,” he says now, “but I definitely loved the creative aspect of it.”
Today, Gerber is best known (aside, perhaps, from being married to Cindy Crawford) as the cofounder, with entrepreneur Mike Meldman and actor George Clooney, of Casamigos. Born in 2013, the tequila and mezcal brand has risen faster than the volume at a dance club, winning numerous medals and selling to Diageo in 2017 for around $1 billion. Gerber continues to be the chairman, however, and here he tells Hemispheres about his climb to the top shelf.
On following your instincts
“I’ve never followed any rules. When I go into something, I don’t say, ‘OK, what’s the competition? What’s this guy doing?’ When I’m building a place, really I’m designing it for myself. I never did research, never walked around and said, ‘What is this place like?’ I created places that I would want to be at. I feel like I need to go with my own instincts. When I started Casamigos, I didn’t hire people who were in the liquor business. That’s the fun part for me: not having to follow, just doing it our own way.”
On building Casamigos
“Initially, George and I decided to create a tequila just for us to drink. It was never our intention to start a tequila company. We were building homes in Mexico, and we decided that we should do our own tequila, just to serve at our houses. We met with a master distiller, and we told him the taste profile that we wanted: super-smooth, no burn at all, one that you could just drink on the rocks or straight-up. We were not in any rush, because it wasn’t like we were starting a company. It took about two years, and 700 bottles of samples, but finally we got that last bottle, and it was just perfect. We drank it for almost two years, just us and our friends we would serve in the house, and then our friends would take it home with them, and word got out that we had a really special tequila that was unlike any other out there.”
On leading a team
“Leadership, really, is about creating harmony between your employees. Without a great team, we would never be in the position we’re in today. I like to train people well enough so they can leave but treat them well enough so they don’t want to leave. That’s definitely true with my team. Everyone contributes. It doesn’t matter what your title is—everyone is involved in every aspect of the business. They all know that no matter what position they have now, if they’re interested in moving up or doing a different position in the company, hey, I’m all for it, because I want everyone to be happy and excited to come to work every day.”
On giving back
“I’ve obviously been very fortunate in my life, and I think it’s extremely important to give back. [Last year] I happened to be sitting on the couch, watching the news, and this story came up about this veteran getting scammed out of a couple of thousand dollars. What he said really struck me: His reason for speaking out was because he didn’t want other veterans to get scammed. It wasn’t about him; it was about him not wanting it to happen to others. Watching it, I just thought, I want to give him the money back, and I want to give him enough that he could also buy some toys for his kids or take care of his mom, whatever it is. The extra money that I ended up giving him? He’s donating that money to an organization that needs it. That made me happy. Those are small things that have a direct impact on people, and people like that pay it forward, which has a direct effect on others.”
Next Up: A Wave of Female Mezcal Makers is Shaking Up Tradition in Oaxaca
