'Tequila family' build commercial property empire in US

Properties across US states worth more than $1bn

The $1bn property empire runs from Miami to Minneapolis. File picture

The heir to a fortune built on José Cuervo tequila has plowed cash into US commercial property for the past 15 years, quietly amassing a portfolio that runs from Miami to Minneapolis.

Juan Beckmann Vidal, the patriarch behind the tequila maker and other spirits housed under Becle, has purchased and developed at least 464,515sq m of mostly commercial properties across three US states. All told, the buildings are worth more than $1bn (€920m), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.