????艾維公司把多數(shù)股權(quán)賣給了法國飲品巨頭保樂力加集團(tuán)

????在一場撲克比賽中跟沃倫?巴菲特進(jìn)行的一次關(guān)于龍舌蘭酒的隨意交談，如何激發(fā)一位企業(yè)家創(chuàng)建起一門上億美元的生意？值得慶幸的是，發(fā)生在拉斯維加斯的事情并非總是停留在那里。

????艾維烈酒有限責(zé)任公司(Avion Spirits LLC)擁有一個相當(dāng)年輕，但增勢迅猛的龍舌蘭酒品牌。該公司上周五同意將其“大多數(shù)股權(quán)”賣給保樂力加集團(tuán)(PernodRicard)，交易值據(jù)說近1億美元。這份協(xié)議可能會進(jìn)一步推動酒吧和酒柜市場的高價龍舌蘭酒銷量。

????“龍舌蘭酒正處于其生命周期的第二局，艾維面臨驚人的全球機(jī)遇，”艾維公司創(chuàng)始人兼董事長肯?奧斯汀在接受《財富》雜志(Fortune)采訪時這樣說道。 “我們將與保樂力加集團(tuán)一起抓住這個機(jī)遇，因?yàn)樗麄儞碛袕?qiáng)大的實(shí)力。”

????奧斯汀的“啊哈”時刻并不完全是一個隨機(jī)事件。作為馬奎斯飛機(jī)公司(Marquis Jet)總裁，他與巴菲特旗下的NetJets航空公司(NetJets Aviation Inc.)存在合作關(guān)系。所以，奧斯汀早已熟識這位“奧馬哈先知”。

????幾年前，他們在一年一度的撲克錦標(biāo)賽相遇。據(jù)說，巴菲特當(dāng)時注意到奧斯汀訂購龍舌蘭酒的消息，隨即主動跟他談?wù)撈疬@種出產(chǎn)自墨西哥的烈酒。在那次談話中，奧斯汀指出一個頗有意思的現(xiàn)象：在高端龍舌蘭酒市場，還沒有涌現(xiàn)出一位足以挑戰(zhàn)Patron公司領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位的參與者。

????“沃倫說，‘還沒有其他公司脫穎而出，這的確有意思，’”奧斯丁轉(zhuǎn)述了一下當(dāng)時的談話。“就在那一刻，我突然開竅了。”

????這次談話結(jié)束后，奧斯汀立即飛往墨西哥，尋求開發(fā)一個頂級龍舌蘭酒品牌。他的合作對象是一個連續(xù)五代人一直種植龍舌蘭的農(nóng)戶（這種植物是所有龍舌蘭酒的原料）。

????“我不想要一種現(xiàn)成的龍舌蘭酒。對于龍舌蘭酒的口感，我有自己的構(gòu)想，”奧斯汀說。

????Avion sells majority stake to French beverage giant Pernod Ricard

????How did a casual conversation about tequila with Warren Buffett at a poker tournament inspire an entrepreneur to build a multi-million-dollar business? Thankfully what happens in Las Vegas doesn’t always stay there.

????Avion Spirits LLC, owner of a fairly young but rapidly growing tequila brand, agreed Friday to sell a“significant majority stake” to Pernod Ricard in a deal that could further propel the premium priced tequila in bars and liquor cabinets. The deal is reportedly valued at almost $100 million.

????“Tequila is in the second inning of its lifecycle, and the global opportunities for Avion are monstrous,” said Ken Austin, Avion’s founder and chairman, in an interview with Fortune. “We are going to be positioned with Pernod Ricard to take advantage of that because of the muscle that they have.”

????Austin’s “Aha” moment wasn’t a completely random occurrence. As president of Marquis Jet, a company that works with Buffett’s NetJets Aviation Inc., Austin already knew the Oracle of Omaha.

????They were at an annual poker tournament several years ago when Buffett reportedly took note of Austin’s tequila order and struck up a conversation about the Mexican-produced spirit. In that conversation, Austin pointed out it was interesting that no clear player challenged market leader Patron among premium tequilas.

????“Warren said, ‘That’s really interesting that no other player could break through,’” Austin said, relaying the conversation. “That was the moment that I had the epiphany.”

????Following that conversation, Austin jetted off to Mexico and sought to develop a premium tequila brand. He worked with family that has grown agave, used to produce all tequilas, for five generations.

????“I didn’t want an off-the-shelf tequila, I had a vision for how it was going to taste,” Austin said.