Diageo holds the global trademark rights to Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka, but the North American landscape for the luxury spirit has just changed dramatically. The spirits giant has traded its North American ownership of Cîroc for a majority stake in Lobos 1707 Tequila, the premium brand with backing from NBA superstar LeBron James.
This move makes perfect sense when you look at the numbers. Vodka still dominates with 44% household penetration across North America, but tequila and mezcal are closing the gap fast at 34%. For Diageo, which manages over 200 brands from Guinness beer to Tanqueray gin, this represents a calculated adjustment to their massive portfolio.
One common misconception needs clearing up. Sean “Diddy” Combs—despite his prominent association with the brand—never actually owned Cîroc. Since 2007, Combs had a marketing partnership with Diageo, receiving profit-sharing but holding no ownership stake in the company. This arrangement ended after a legal battle where Combs claimed Diageo treated Cîroc as an inferior product and restricted its distribution to urban neighborhoods.
The new joint venture pairs Diageo’s operational strengths with Main Street Advisors’ cultural connections through entertainment, media, and sports. To steer this new chapter, former TikTok Global Head of Marketing Nick Tran steps in as President and Chief Marketing Officer, signaling the brand’s intention to connect with younger consumers.
Who owns Cîroc in 2025?
The ownership picture for Cîroc in 2025 isn’t straightforward. If you’re looking for a simple answer to who owns Cîroc?—you’ll need to think regionally. Diageo plc maintains global trademark ownership, but North American rights now fall under a completely different arrangement.
Diageo’s current ownership structure
Diageo has held the reins at Cîroc since buying the brand in 2003. In 2025, the London-based spirits giant still owns the global trademark rights and controls the brand completely in all markets except North America. This split approach lets Diageo benefit from Cîroc’s international presence while trying something new in the crucial North American market.
This ownership adjustment didn’t happen by accident. Cîroc has been struggling—sales dropped by 26% for the year ending June 30, 2024. For Diageo, which juggles over 200 brands worldwide, this decline likely pushed them toward restructuring how the brand operates in its biggest market.
Cîroc’s North America rights under the new joint venture
On April 8, 2025, everything changed when Diageo formed a joint venture with Main Street Advisors (MSA). The deal was straightforward but significant: Diageo gave up majority ownership of Cîroc in North America in exchange for a majority stake in Lobos 1707 Tequila worldwide.
Under this arrangement, MSA now holds the majority economic interest in Cîroc’s North American business, though Diageo keeps a minority stake. The setup aims to let both brands thrive while maintaining their unique identities.
To lead this new chapter, Diageo brought in former TikTok executive Nick Tran as president and chief marketing officer of the joint venture. This hiring points directly at Diageo’s goal of connecting with younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, which the company specifically mentioned as a growth target.
What the joint venture means for global ownership
This restructured ownership creates a two-part system for Cîroc globally. Outside North America, nothing changes—Diageo maintains full control and accounts for the brand the same way it always has. For North American operations, however, the change is dramatic.
From a financial standpoint, Cîroc will no longer appear in Diageo’s North America financial results as a consolidated brand. Instead, any performance from this market will show up as “income from JV and associates” going forward. This accounting change effectively removes Cîroc’s recent sales struggles from directly affecting Diageo’s regional performance numbers.
The joint venture seems designed to inject new energy into Cîroc through Main Street Advisors’ cultural connections. As Paul Wachter, MSA’s CEO, put it: “Cîroc and Lobos 1707 have incredible potential, and through this collaboration, we are unlocking new opportunities to accelerate their reach, resonance, and revenue growth in ways that traditional models cannot achieve.”
Basically, this arrangement gives Diageo continued association with Cîroc while shifting the majority ownership burden in a challenging market, all while gaining better positioning in the booming tequila category through Lobos 1707.
Diddy and Cîroc: A marketing partnership that changed the game
The year 2007 marked a turning point for Cîroc. A struggling brand ranked fiftieth among global vodkas found an unlikely champion in Sean “Diddy” Combs. While Combs never actually owned the brand (despite what many still believe), his partnership with Diageo would completely redefine celebrity marketing in the spirits industry.
How Sean Combs became the face of Cîroc
Diageo reached out to Diddy in what many industry insiders considered a last-ditch effort to save their underperforming vodka. When approached about a standard spokesperson deal with a fixed fee, Diddy had bigger ideas in mind.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t want to do just endorsements. I want ownership,” he told Diageo executives. This led to an unprecedented arrangement—Diddy would take on the roles of brand manager and chief marketing officer while receiving a 50% share of Cîroc’s profits.
Diddy took his role seriously, even having business cards printed with his CMO title. Through his marketing company, Blue Flame Agency, he immediately set about reimagining what Cîroc could be.
Impact of celebrity branding on sales
The results were remarkable. Diddy completely repositioned Cîroc, dropping the original “The wine lover’s vodka” tagline and replacing it with celebration-themed marketing. He shifted the target audience too, focusing on younger drinkers just entering the premium spirits market rather than competing for existing ultra-premium vodka consumers.
His marketing approach covered all bases—events, PR, advertising, product placement, digital and outdoor media—creating a seamless campaign that established Cîroc as the luxury celebration drink. Some of his tactics raised eyebrows, like when he adopted the nickname “Ciroc Obama” during the 2008 Presidential campaign.
The strategy worked brilliantly. After Diddy took the helm, sales skyrocketed by 600%. During a period when competitors grew by just 2-3%, Cîroc achieved 65% growth. The brand eventually hit over 2 million cases sold annually in the US alone.
The limits of the partnership: No ownership stake
Despite his crucial role in Cîroc’s success, Diddy never owned the brand. The 2007 agreement specifically covered “marketing and promotion” of Cîroc—a distinction that would become important later during legal disputes.
Throughout their 15-year relationship, Diddy reportedly earned nearly a billion dollars from his partnership with Diageo. Yet according to Diageo, despite this substantial compensation, Combs “contributed a total of USD 1000.00 and refused to honor his commitments.”
The relationship broke down in 2023 when Diddy filed a lawsuit against Diageo. He accused the company of neglecting Cîroc and treating it as an inferior “urban” product. His lawsuit claimed Diageo executives admitted race was a factor in limiting distribution to urban neighborhoods. Diddy also alleged some Diageo leaders resented him for making too much money.
By January 2024, Diageo and Diddy settled their dispute, ending their business relationship completely. Following the settlement, Diageo remained Cîroc’s sole owner, with no ongoing connection to Combs.
The legal battle and its aftermath
The relationship between Cîroc and Diddy crashed dramatically in May 2023 when Combs filed a lawsuit against Diageo, setting off a chain of events that would reshape the vodka brand’s future.
Allegations of racial bias and neglect
Combs didn’t hold back in his legal accusations. He claimed Diageo treated Cîroc as an inferior “Black brand” or “ethnic brand” that should only be marketed to “urban” consumers. His lawsuit went further, alleging Diageo executives openly admitted race was a factor in limiting the brand’s distribution to urban neighborhoods.
The accusations cut deeper still. Combs claimed certain Diageo leaders resented his financial success and deliberately let his brands “wither” while competitors like Don Julio and Casamigos received the royal treatment.
In court documents, Combs painted a picture of systematic neglect—claiming Diageo “starved” his brands of essential resources across production, distribution, and sales channels, particularly during supply chain difficulties. He wasn’t asking for small change either, seeking “billions of dollars in damages” through his legal action.
Settlement terms and public fallout
The bitter legal fight ended abruptly in January 2024 when both parties announced a settlement. Combs withdrew all allegations and dismissed his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice. The spirits giant emerged with sole ownership of both Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila, with “no ongoing business relationship” with Combs moving forward.
The timing wasn’t coincidental. Just months earlier in November 2023, singer Cassie filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault and physical abuse. Court records showed Diageo had already tried to keep Combs from appearing in promotional material for DeLeón, arguing that these serious allegations could cause “devastating and permanent damage” to the brand.
How the lawsuit affected Cîroc’s image
The legal drama left permanent marks on Cîroc’s market standing. By December, reports emerged that Diageo was considering selling Cîroc outright. Sources pointed to both “declining revenue” and the brand’s “legacy connection to Combs” as issues making potential buyers hesitant.
Cîroc found itself stuck in an impossible position—trying to move beyond its successful but now problematic past marketing while figuring out what comes next.
Conclusion
Cîroc’s journey from French vineyards to nightclub favorite has seen dramatic shifts in both brand identity and who controls the bottle. While Diageo keeps the global trademark in 2025, North American rights now operate under a joint venture with Main Street Advisors. This deal closes one chapter while opening another for the premium vodka.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ 15-year marketing partnership turned Cîroc from a virtually unknown brand into a cultural icon, despite his never actually owning the company. His profit-sharing arrangement reportedly generated nearly a billion dollars before ending amid serious allegations and legal battles. The brand’s sales slump, combined with shifting consumer tastes, pushed Diageo toward its recent strategic move.
The surging popularity of tequila certainly factored into Diageo’s decision to trade Cîroc’s North American rights for a controlling stake in Lobos 1707. This swap lets Diageo maintain ties with Cîroc while pivoting toward faster-growing spirit categories. Bringing in former TikTok executive Nick Tran as President and CMO shows they’re serious about reconnecting with younger drinkers.
Going forward, Cîroc’s split ownership structure creates both hurdles and possibilities. The brand needs to build its post-Diddy identity while creating authentic connections with Gen Z consumers. Still, the combination of Diageo’s global reach and MSA’s entertainment industry connections gives Cîroc a solid foundation for potential comeback.
At its core, Cîroc’s story shows how luxury spirit brands must adapt to market trends, celebrity partnerships, and changing consumer preferences. Though it’s no longer the cultural powerhouse it once was, Cîroc’s unique grape-based production and premium positioning still offer paths for growth under its new joint venture structure.
FAQs
Q1. Who currently owns Cîroc vodka?
Diageo owns the global trademark for Cîroc. However, in North America, ownership is now shared through a joint venture between Diageo and Main Street Advisors, with the latter holding a majority economic interest.
Q2. Was Sean “Diddy” Combs ever an owner of Cîroc?
No, Sean “Diddy” Combs never owned Cîroc. He had a marketing partnership with Diageo from 2007 to 2023, which included profit-sharing, but he did not have an ownership stake in the company.
Q3. How has Cîroc’s ownership structure changed recently?
In 2025, Diageo formed a strategic joint venture with Main Street Advisors, exchanging majority ownership of Cîroc’s North American rights for a majority stake in Lobos 1707 Tequila globally.
Q4. What makes Cîroc different from other vodkas?
Cîroc is unique because it’s made from fine French grapes instead of grains or potatoes. It undergoes a five-times distillation process, resulting in a smooth, fresh taste with subtle citrus notes.
Q5. How is Cîroc adapting to reach younger consumers?
Cîroc has appointed former TikTok executive Nick Tran as President and CMO of the new joint venture. This move signals a focus on capturing younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, through innovative digital marketing strategies.