Diageo Buys George Clooney's Tequila Company

MALIBU, CA — A British spirits company — which has its largest bottling North American operation right here in Plainfield — has struck a potentially billion-dollar deal with actor George Clooney, businessman Rande Gerber and real estate tycoon Michael Meldman, purchasing the trio's super-premium tequila, Casamigos. Gerber, who is married to supermodel and DeKalb native Cindy Crawford, announced the sale on Wednesday.

"What started from a friendship and an idea to create the best-tasting, smoothest tequila as our own house tequila to drink and share with friends, has quickly turned into the fastest growing super-premium tequila," Gerber said in a statement.

Diageo purchased the brand for $700 million, but Clooney and his pals could net another $300 million if the brand does well in the next decade. Read more via Malibu Patch

Diageo North America accounts for about a third of the company's sales. The Plainfield plant, 24440 W. 143rd St., is the largest of the nine North American bottling, distilling, blending and maturation sites. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The multinational company has expanded its Plainfield location in recent years, and the site has ranked among the best places to work in Illinois. The plant is among Will County's largest employers, with an estimated staff of 600 as of January 2017, according to the Will County Center for Economic Development.

Photo: Clooney, Gerber and Crawford. Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini