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George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila is NOT produced in a sweatshop, despite a new tabloid report. Gossip Cop can correct this claim. We’re told it’s “completely false.”
According to OK!, the employees of Mexican distillery work in very dangerous conditions, make as little as $3.33 a day, and are in constant risk of injury on the job. A so-called “insider” at the factory tells the tabloid, “When we work, we aren’t allowed to talk, to avoid accidents. If we’re busy, we must not talk at all.”
The tabloid then claims that this supposed “employee” revealed scars on her forearms “from hand-labeling the tequila’s fancy bottles.” The magazine also alleges the employees are “forced to work weekends,” and there is only one “single filthy restroom for all the workers to share..” OK! does note, however, that Clooney probably isn’t aware of the allegedly dismal situation at the plant.
In a statement released to Gossip Cop, Clooney and his partners say the tabloid’s story could not be further from the truth. The statement reads, “All staff are of legal working age… and paid well above what Mexican law requires.” It adds, “The working conditions at the distillery are sanitary and safe.”
Furthermore, the actor is very involved and passionate about his tequila business, not to mention humanitarianism, and he’s well aware of what goes on behind-the-scenes. If these factory claims were true, which they are not, Clooney and his partners note, “It would have been addressed immediately and very publicly.”
Additionally, the Casamigos team says the distillery is an “important local employer that has been in business for nearly 20 years.” Clooney and his business partners visited the establishment earlier this year, and “saw none of the supposed conditions listed by [the] tabloid.” Once again, Gossip Cop is assured that these sweatshop allegations are “completely false.”
Gossip Cop has also obtained photos from the distillery, as well as a certificate of compliance, which clearly shows that the working conditions are safe and sanitary. See the pictures and certificate below.
Here is the full statement from Casamigos Tequila partners Rande Gerber, George Clooney, and Mike Meldman:
“Casamigos is the fastest growing Premium Tequila brand in the U.S. and unknown third parties may be trying to tarnish their reputation by falsifying a story and shopping it to tabloids. In fact, the National Enquirer squashed the story they were sold when it was brought to their attention the story was fabricated and the reality is the complete opposite of what they were being sold. Our lawyers were in fact told by the National Enquirer that given the evidence, they halted their cover story. Their sister company, OK Magazine had already gone to print so it was too late to stop the story. They promised it would not be released online, and it hasn’t. The fact is, Casamigos Tequila is produced at the finest and most respected distillery in a small agricultural town in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The distillery and its operations are fully regulated, approved annually, and monitored on a daily basis by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (“CRT”), the tequila industry’s regulatory agency. We visited the distillery earlier this year and saw none of the supposed conditions listed by this tabloid.
Further, our U.S.-based and local representatives have made frequent visits to the distillery over the last five years and have not observed any of the conditions listed by this tabloid. In fact, our representative (a U.S.-based veteran in the spirits production industry) happens to be in Jalisco at the distillery last week and consulted with us regarding the actual conditions at the distillery now. Based on assurances directly from the distillery owners, all staff are of legal working age, the staff is paid well above what Mexican law requires, overtime work is optional and is compensated by overtime pay, and the working conditions at the distillery are sanitary, safe, and consistent with industry standards as confirmed by the CRT during their normal audits of the distillery.
The distillery is an important local employer that has been in business for nearly 20 years. They have earned ISO and other well-known certifications regarding the quality and effectiveness of their operation. We are proud that our brand’s business growth has helped create jobs both in Jalisco and in the USA.
Casamigos is confident that the allegations contained in this tabloid story are completely false. If we had found any single part of this to be true, it would have been addressed immediately and very publicly.”
