Avion sells majority stake to French beverage giant Pernod Ricard
艾维公司把多数股权卖给了法国饮品巨头保乐力加集团
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.
在一场扑克比赛中跟沃伦o巴菲特进行的一次关于龙舌兰酒的随意交谈，如何激发一位企业家创建起一门上亿美元的生意？值得庆幸的是，发生在拉斯维加斯的事情并非总是停留在那里。
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.
艾维烈酒有限责任公司(Avion Spirits LLC)拥有一个相当年轻，但增势迅猛的龙舌兰酒品牌。该公司上周五同意将其“大多数股权”卖给保乐力加集团(PernodRicard)，交易值据说近1亿美元。这份协议可能会进一步推动酒吧和酒柜市场的高价龙舌兰酒销量。
“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.”
“龙舌兰酒正处于其生命周期的第二局，艾维面临惊人的全球机遇，”艾维公司创始人兼董事长肯o奥斯汀在接受《财富》杂志(Fortune)采访时这样说道。 “我们将与保乐力加集团一起抓住这个机遇，因为他们拥有强大的实力。”
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.
奥斯汀的“啊哈”时刻并不完全是一个随机事件。作为马奎斯飞机公司(Marquis Jet)总裁，他与巴菲特旗下的NetJets航空公司(NetJets Aviation Inc.)存在合作关系。所以，奥斯汀早已熟识这位“奥马哈先知”。
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.
几年前，他们在一年一度的扑克锦标赛相遇。据说，巴菲特当时注意到奥斯汀订购龙舌兰酒的消息，随即主动跟他谈论起这种出产自墨西哥的烈酒。在那次谈话中，奥斯汀指出一个颇有意思的现象：在高端龙舌兰酒市场，还没有涌现出一位足以挑战Patron公司领导地位的参与者。
“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.”
“沃伦说，‘还没有其他公司脱颖而出，这的确有意思，’”奥斯丁转述了一下当时的谈话。“就在那一刻，我突然开窍了。”
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.
这次谈话结束后，奥斯汀立即飞往墨西哥，寻求开发一个顶级龙舌兰酒品牌。他的合作对象是一个连续五代人一直种植龙舌兰的农户（这种植物是所有龙舌兰酒的原料）。
“I didn’t want an off-the-shelf tequila, I had a vision for how it was going to taste,” Austin said.
“我不想要一种现成的龙舌兰酒。对于龙舌兰酒的口感，我有自己的构想，”奥斯汀说。
Avion was launched in July 2010 but quickly generated interest from some major alcoholic beverage makers. Pernod Ricard acquired a minority stake of the Avion Spirits joint venture in 2011. Other early investors included AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley.
艾维龙舌兰酒于2010年7月正式推出，但很快就引起一些主流烈酒制造商的兴趣。2011年，保乐力加集团收购了艾维烈酒合资公司的少数股权。其他的早期投资者包括美国在线公司(AOL)首席执行官蒂姆o阿姆斯特朗和YouTube联合创始人查德o赫尔利。
“I was an early investor in Avion for two reasons – the leadership team and the innovative use of media to build a global brand,” Armstrong said in an e-mail toFortune. “I looked at Avion as the Red Bull of spirits.”
“我是艾维公司的早期投资人之一，这样做有两个原因——领导团队，以及创新性地利用媒体来打造一个全球性品牌这种做法，”阿姆斯特朗在发给《财富》的一封电子邮件中写道。 “我把艾维视为烈酒领域的红牛 (Red Bull) 。”
The brand got a free boost of publicity, as it was featured series plotline in the hit HBO show “Entourage.” That product placement was free, due to a friendship between Austin and “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin, though the publicity created some problems as some consumers thought the brand wasn’t real.
家庭影院电视台(HBO)剧集《明星伙伴》(Entourage) 的热播，让这一品牌的知名度获得免费提升。由于奥斯汀与《明星伙伴》创作者道格o叶林是好朋友，这款植入式广告是免费的，但鉴于一些消费者认为它是虚构品牌，这种宣传也造成了一些问题。
Avion’s sales growth suggests it is the real deal. Sales have climbed in the high double- to triple-digits since launch, and Austin says it is the fastest growing ultrapremium tequila in the world.
不断增长的销量表明，艾维是实打实的烈酒品牌。自推出以来，这款龙舌兰酒的销量一直以两位数到三位数的增速急剧攀升。奥斯汀说，艾维是世界上增长最快的高端龙舌兰酒。
At stake is a booming tequila market that has seen rapid consumer interest in the U.S. as Avion, Patron and other manufacturers focus more on the quality of the agave and the distillation process. Patron this year is launching a line of pricey drinks as part of the largest product launch in the company’s 25-year history. Justin Timberlake, George Clooney and Sean “Diddy” Combs have all jumped on the tequila bandwagon. The growth over the past decade has been strongest on the higher end.
随着艾维、Patron和其他制造商更专注于龙舌兰的质量和蒸馏过程，龙舌兰酒市场呈现出一派蓬勃发展的景象，美国消费者对这种烈酒的兴趣与日俱增。作为该公司成立25年以来规模最大的产品发布活动的组成部分，Patron今年将推出一个高价龙舌兰酒系列。贾斯汀o汀布莱克、乔治o克鲁尼和说唱歌手吹牛老爹也纷纷加入龙舌兰酒的投资人行列。在过去十年，高端龙舌兰酒市场见证了有史以来增速最快的一段时期。
Avion generally sells for between $40 to $60 a bottle, so it is considered a premium-priced spirit, though Austin says the price is an “affordable luxury” for consumers.
一瓶艾维龙舌兰酒的售价通常在40到60美元之间，所以它被视为高价烈酒，但奥斯汀坚称，它是“买得起的奢侈品”，消费者完全能够承受这种价位。
And while Avion’s prime audience is generally between the ages of 25 to 40, Austin said the tequila has broad appeal.
虽然艾维主要面向25至40岁之间的消费群体，但奥斯汀坚称，这款龙舌兰酒具有广泛的吸引力。
“If they are 21 and they have a mouth, I’m interested in them,” Austin said.
“如果你21岁，而且长着一张嘴，我也会对你感兴趣的，”奥斯汀说。