At CEO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United States based CEO’ operating in the Wine And Spirits space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected].
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.

Kevin Boyer
President & CEO of CustomVine
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About CustomVine: CustomVine is a winery company that provides custom wine production, process management, and fulfillment for the restaurant business.

David Koretz
Founder & CEO of Plum
David Koretz is a serial entrepreneur who founded four companies by the age of 19. He is currently President & CEO of BlueTie, and President of Mykonos Software. Under the leadership of Mr. Koretz, BlueTie has been a three-time recipient of Forbes Magazine “Best of the Web†as one of the top four Websites in the world for small businesses, winner of the 2008 AlwaysOn Top 100 award, PC Magazine Four Star Award, and the Ad-Tech award for Best B2B Transaction Website. Mr. Koretz was the recipient of Teen People Magazine’s “20 Teens Who Will Change the World” award, the “40 Under 40 Award,” and the Digital Rochester “Rising Star Award.” Mr. Koretz currently serves as a Board Member of Earthlink, BlueTie, RIT President’s Roundtable, Adventive, Mykonos Software, The Young Entrepreneur’s Academy, and the RIT School of Computing. He is a monthly columnist in Media Post.
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About Plum: Plum is an appliance that automatically identifies, chills to the perfect temperature, and provides a premium wine-drinking experience.

Geoff McFarlane
Co-Founder and CEO of Winc
Geoff McFarlane is the Co-Founder and CEO of Winc. He is an entrepreneur incorporating over seven years experience in project management and finance. Proven track record in building highly customized projects and successful businesses. Has successfully acquired unsuccessful businesses and made them profitable, while creating an effective business model. His specialties: Skills include budgeting, financial analysis, and management of construction process.
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About Winc: Winc is a winery company with a direct connection to the consumer, building a portfolio of brands for the next generation of wine drinkers.

Mike LaVitola
Co-Founder & CEO of Foxtrot
Co-Founder & CEO of Foxtrot.
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About Foxtrot: Foxtrot is a mobile app that lets customers shop a curated collection of drinks, food, and everyday essentials.
Holly Whitaker
Founder and CEO of Hip Sobriety
Holly Whitaker is Chief Creative Officer, Founder at Tempest.
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About Hip Sobriety, Tempest: Hip Sobriety provides alcohol abuse treatment for Americans.

Aaron Sherman
Co-Founder & CEO of SevenFifty
Aaron Sherman is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of SevenFifty. With over a decade in the industry and extensive experience as a sommelier, beverage manager and industry consultant, Sherman brings a breadth of knowledge and passion to his position. As CEO of SevenFifty, Sherman plays the executive lead and oversees overall company vision and growth. Prior to co-founding SevenFifty, Sherman worked as a sommelier and beverage manager for New York restaurants WD-50 and L’Artusi. He was also the beverage director at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for running the beverage programs of their multi-outlet venue, including Jose Andres’ restaurant The Bazaar. Sherman holds a Diploma of Wine and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
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About SevenFifty: SevenFifty helps importers, producers, distributors, and retail buyers connect with each other and do business in a modern world.
James Fantaci
CEO and Founder of Purple Fete
James Fantaci is a hospitality entrepreneur who has lived and traveled for several years in Tuscany. He has worked in wine retail, as well as in production at Flowers Vineyard and Winery in Sonoma, California, and is the founder of Purple Fete, a company that organically evolved from a consulting business for wine enthusiasts into a boutique Tuscan villa rental agency and concierge service, specially tailored for wine and food lovers, receiving press recognition for its unique approach to Tuscan hospitality. He attended Skidmore College, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and graduated with honors from the Graduate Business program at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. He built Purple Fete while in graduate school, and expanded his vocation to include boutique development, working with partners on a design-driven real estate project in New York.
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About Purple Fete: Purple Fete offers exclusive services and experiences such as boutique luxury Tuscan villa rental and wine consulting.

Jugoslav Petkovic
Co-founder and CEO of Flaviar
Jugoslav Petkovic is founder at Flaviar.
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About Flaviar: Flaviar, a spirits tasting club, offers a subscription service that helps members discover new liquor products through sample tasting packs.

Devaraj Southworth
Co-Founder and CEO of Thirstie
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About The Second Chance Foundation, Thirstie, Yureekah: E-commerce solutions for beverage alcohol brands.

Heini Zachariassen
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Vivino
Heini is Vivino’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Credited with bringing a technology revolution to the wine industry, Heini founded Vivino because he was frustrated by not knowing which wine to buy. It’s been his passion project ever since. During his tenure, Vivino has grown into a community of 46 million users, raised $72 million in funding, and rolled out a worldwide wine marketplace. Before starting Vivino, Heini co-founded several startups, including global internet and mobile security company BullGuard. Heini leads the team from Vivino’s European headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. Heini and Vivino’s story is featured in an independent documentary, “Disrupting Wine, The Life of an Entrepreneur.” Heini also hosts the YouTube series Raw Startup, which offers candid advice for entrepreneurs and startups.
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About Vivino: Vivino is a wine app and online wine marketplace that provides users tools to buy better wine based on their unique tastes.

David Kanbar
Founder & CEO of Brand House Wines & Spirits
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About Brand House Wines & Spirits: Brand House Wines & Spirits is a business incubator that focuses on alcoholic beverage brands.
Sarah Hoffman
Co-Founder & CEO of Maker Wine
Sarah Hoffman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Maker Wine.
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About Maker Wine: Maker Wine connects wine lovers to premium canned wines from best-in-class independent producers.

Jeffrey Shaw
Founder & CEO of Underground Cellar
Founder and CEO of UndergroundCellar.com; Y Combinator W15
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About Underground Cellar: Underground Cellar is an online wine marketplace to discover, buy, and store premium wines.
James D White
CEO of Jamba Juice
Mr. James D. White is Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer of Jamba Inc. He was appointed Chairman in May 2010. Previously, Mr. White was Senior Vice President of Consumer Brands for Safeway, Inc. with responsibility for brand strategy, innovation, manufacturing and commercial sales from 2005 to 2008. Prior to Safeway, Mr. White was Senior Vice President of Business Development, North America at the Gillette Company, where his responsibilities included centralized marketing, sales, retail execution, marketing planning and Canadian operations from 2002 to 2005. Mr. White also held executive and management roles with Nestlé Purina from 1987 to 2005, including Vice President, Customer Interface Group from 1999 to 2002, and Vice President, Customer Development East from 1997 to 1999. Mr. White has been a Director of Hillshire Brands Company since October 2012.
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About Jamba Juice: Jamba Juice is a healthy lifestyle brand that inspires and simplifies healthful living through freshly blended whole fruit and juices.

Zac Brandenberg
CEO of Drinks
Zac Brandenberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Drinks, as well as the Co-Founder and CEO of Quiris. He was previously the CEO of Meteor Games LLC and Hydra.
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About Drinks: DRINKS is disrupting the way wine is sold by bringing consumers the highest quality wine at the lowest prices, direct to their door

David Meadows
Founder & CEO of Purewine
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About Purewine, Sentinel Diagnostic Imaging: Purevino is an online store that offers wine deals based on price, preference, and location.

Joshua Anton
CEO & Co-Founder of Drunk Mode, Inc.
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About Drunk Mode, Inc.: Drunk Mode is your all-in one solution for when you go out.
Jeremy Rawle
Founder & CEO of Black Feather Whiskey
Jeremy Rawle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Black Feather Whiskey.
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About Black Feather Whiskey, Contravent: Black Feather is a premium American whiskey company that is welcoming, but full of fire.

Mike Janko
Chief Executive Officer of Bel Vino
Mr. Janko’s official capacity is trustee of the trust which holds all Bel Vino, LLC membership shares and property. In that legal capacity Mr. Janko represents all ownership interests and has sole control of the entire winery and real property. Mr. Janko is also Chief Investment Officer, Member of the Board of Directors and an owner of American Estate & Trust, LC (AET). AET is a Nevada licensed trust company which operates as a limited bank under Nevada banking laws and under the supervision of the Nevada banking regulatory authorities (FID). AET is also regulated extensively by the Internal Revenue Code, U.S. Treasury Regulations and U.S. Department of Labor Regulations with regard to retirement accounts held by AET. AET has approximately $700 million of client assets under management and/or custody. Mr. Janko, representing both client funds held at AET and family funds, invests extensively in fixed income assets, real estate and private equity opportunities.
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About American Estate & Trust, Bel Vino: Bel Vino Winery is a fully functioning and fully self-contained winery that has been in business since 1996.

Chris Stephenson
Co-Founder and CEO of Madre Mezcal
Chris Stephenson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Madre Mezcal. He is also the President and COO of Viggle Inc. where he manages the overall business, marketing, product and P&L for the popular loyalty program for television. He joined Viggle Inc. in 2011 with seasoned experience developing internationally-recognized advertising, marketing, and entertainment campaigns. Most recently, Chris lead marketing for Interscope Records, home of multi-platinum recording artists such as Lady Gaga, Eminem, and U2. Previously, Chris led global entertainment marketing at Microsoft. He led marketing and sales for House of Blues and also ran multiple award-winning international advertising campaigns and sponsor-driven programs, including the European Music Awards, for MTV and VH1.
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About Madre Mezcal, SFX Entertainment: Madre Mezcal is a distillery company that specializes in manufacturing and selling alcoholic beverages.
Russ Mann
CEO & Board Member of WineBid.com
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About Covario, WineBid.com: WineBid.com is an online platform for selling and buying wines.

Robert Nathanson
Chief Executive Officer of Palmia
Robert Nathanson is a visionary and marketing guru while having a track record in long term market strategies and building high-performance executive teams. Robert has lead sophisticated platforms with product and service organizations with large market penetrations. From being a Doctor to an Entrepreneur, Robert focuses on operational excellence while planning and delivering growth strategies designed to improve market share. He earned a dual Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at the University of San Francisco and a Doctorate in Chiropractic. Robert is a strategic visionary while his grocery and restaurant/bar relationships are the forefront of his present business relationships.
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About OpenTreatment, Palmia: Palmia is made with the highest quality ingredients and delivers the taste of summer.

Jed Kleckner
CEO of delivery.com
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About delivery.com: delivery.com offers an online platform that enables its users to connect and buy from restaurants, groceries, liquor stores, and more.
Gregory Constantine
CEO and Co-Founder of Air Company
Having started his career as an intern at a boutique music festival business to running some of Australia’s largest electronic music festivals working alongside artists like Snoop Dogg, Calvin Harris, Disclosure & Skrillex, Greg was able to transition his music knowledge and network into the branding and entertainment marketing world. Helping lead Smirnoff’s global music and cultural marketing based out of New York City landed him a spot on 2017’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list due to his distinguished music background alongside his ability to drive brands deeper into culture. Now, Co-Founder & CEO of the world’s most sustainable alcohol company as well as one of the youngest owners in the NBA, Greg is at the helm of several transformational and innovative businesses continually pushing boundaries and striving to achieve more than what many think is possible.
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About Air Company, Constantine Creative: Air Company is a technology and lifestyle company that ideates, creates, and manufactures liquor products.
Katerina Axelsson
Founder and CEO of Tastry, Inc.
Founder Katerina Axelsson is a graduate of Cal Poly with a B.S. in Chemistry. While in school, Kat worked at a custom crush facility and noticed that one of their batches sent to two different labels received drastically different industry scores; it was then that she knew there had to be a more science-based way to score wine for the individual. Thus, the idea for Tastry was born. Over the next 3 years, she taught a computer how to taste. Her methods are turning heads across the globe, not only in the wine industry, but in other sensory-based markets, such as taste and fragrances. Her technology is proving that Tastry has not only created a new category for AI, but that Tastry is an AI company that is commanding market attention.
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About Tastry, Inc.: Leading AI and Sensory Sciences Company

Kit Codik
Founder and CEO of Liquor.com
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About Dotdash, Liquor.com, The Gap: Liquor.com is a website providing recipes, information and news on cocktails and spirits.

Lauren Barnard
Founder + CEO of Wine + Moxxi
Lauren is the founder and CEO of Wine + Moxxi. She is also the founder and CEO of Kampala Wines, an online wine club and wine shop platform. Earlier in life, she worked for Fluxx as partnerships manager and senior project manager. She has 2 years and 6 months experience as grants manager in Campaign for Female Education. Lauren attended University of Wisconsin-Madison and studied journalism.
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About Booz Allen Hamilton, Wine + Moxxi: Wine + Moxxi engages in delivering monthly wine subscription for customers.
Alec Lee
CEO and Co-Founder of Endless West
CEO at Endless West.
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About Endless West: Endless West is a beverage startup using scientific production methods to create its own original blend of wines and spirits.
Marc Bushala
CEO of Heaven’s Door
Marc Bushala is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in creating and building businesses in the real estate, marketing services, media, food and beverage, and entertainment sectors in the United States and across Europe. In 1989, Bushala founded the National Facilities Group, Inc. (NFG), a company specializing in database management of commercial property portfolios of Fortune 1000 companies. NFG was sold in 2004 to a global investment group.
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About Heaven’s Door, Liquid Asset Brands, MAB Capital Management: Heaven’s Door is an Whiskey Brand.

Paul Varga
CEO of Brown-Forman Corp.
Paul Varga was appointed president and chief executive officer of Brown-Forman Corporation on August 1, 2005, and became chairman of the company in August 2007. He has been a member of the company’s board of directors since 2003. Prior to becoming CEO, Varga served as president and chief executive officer of the company’s Brown-Forman Beverages subsidiary. He also served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Brown-Forman Beverages. In this capacity he provided executive direction of the marketing efforts for brands that comprise Brown-Forman Beverages in domestic and international markets. Varga began his career at Brown-Forman as a summer intern in May of 1986. He subsequently was promoted to a variety of positions within the corporation, ranging from on-premise marketing to managing the Jack Daniel’s brand. Varga was promoted to senior vice president, chief marketing officer in November 2000. Varga earned his bachelor of business administration degree in finance from the University of Kentucky in 1985. He went on to earn his master’s in business administration at Purdue University in 1987. Paul resides in Louisville with is wife, Melissa, and their three children.
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About Brown-Forman Corp.: Brown-Forman is one of the American-owned spirits and wine companies.
Marc de Kuyper
CEO and Founder of Overproof.com
Marc De Kuyper is the Founder of Lymion Group Inc. (Overproof).
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About Overproof.com: A Lymion Group Inc. applies AI to the Beverage Alcohol industry, offering various SaaS solutions to suppliers, distributors and retailers
Gregory Ahn
President & CEO of Alcohol by Volume
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About Alcohol by Volume: ALC/VOL is a brand development company managing a portfolio of 16 winery brands from throughout California.

Steve Loeb
President & CEO of Alaska Distributors
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About Alaska Distributors: Alaska Distributors is the markets and distributes alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages.
Chris Vaughn
CEO & Founder of Saucey
Chris Vaughn is the CEO & Founder of Saucey. Prior to this, he served as Marketing Director & Head of Partnerships at textPlus. He was the Founder & CEO of Jarvus (acquired by textPlus). He worked as Head of Product at Coupeez Inc. He was the Founder & Digital Marketing Strategist of Varmola.
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About Emjay, Saucey: Saucey is an e-Commerce company which handles the fastest, easiest and most reliable on-demand alcohol delivery service.

Ian Crystal
Co-Founder, CEO of Evolution Spirits
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About Evolution Spirits: The bottler of Monkey Rum-a new spiced and coconut rum from Zane Lamprey.
Amy Ludlum
Co-founder and CEO of California Dreamin
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About California Dreamin, University of Oxford: California Dreamin is a food and beverage start up that manufactures all natural cannabis infused sodas for a light social high.
Richard Yau
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Bright Cellars
Richard graduated from MIT in 2010 and co-founded Bright Cellars in 2014. In between, he refined his entrepreneurship skills while helping NutraClick grow to $65M in revenue. During his time as Director of Business Development, he launched a subsidiary LLC where he secured over 200,000 subscriptions and drew $9M in revenue. When he’s not pouring his soul into Bright Cellars, Richard loves to serenade his coworkers and play basketball.
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About Bright Cellars: Bright Cellars is a monthly subscription wine club that matches members with personalized selections.
Eric Dopkins
Co-Founder and CEO of Milestone Brands
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About Milestone Brands: Milestone Brands is a manufacturer and producer of premium flavored beverages and spirits.
Mitchell Hayes
Founder and CEO of Los Sundays Tequila
Mitchell Hayes is the Founder and CEO at Los Sundays Tequila.
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About Los Sundays Tequila: Los Sundays is a tequila company and lifestyle brand that offers 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila.

Lindsey Andrews
CEO & Co-Founder of Minibar Delivery
Lindsey Andrews is the Co-founder and Co-CEO at Minibar Delivery
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About Minibar Delivery: Minibar Delivery provides on-demand delivery of wine, spirits, beer & mixers.
Josh McKinney
CEO of Ekos
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About Ekos: Empowering craft beverage producers to make more through our cloud-based business management software.

Oscar Chow
CEO of Enclave Food & Beverage Group (EnBev)
Oscar Chow is a 13 year Red Bull veteran, and the Founder & General Manager of Enclave Food & Beverage Group, a company that provides a variety of options for consumers across multiple categories.
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About Enclave Food & Beverage Group (EnBev), Zero1 Agency: Total food & beverage company that produces a variety of consumer packaged goods across multiple categories.
Luc Bergevin
Founder & CEO of Foot of the Bed Cellars
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About Foot of the Bed Cellars, The Bay Club: Foot of the Bed Cellars is a curated, monthly, direct-to-consumer wine company.

Jordan Schindler
Founder & CEO of Nufabrx
I founded texdel (formerly Nufabrx) in 2011 after a trip to the dermatologist where I learned that pillowcases are one of the leading causes of acne/blemishes, and we are supposed to wash our pillowcases every 2 to 3 days. For teens and college students, this is not going to happen! So off I went to find a solution. After years of R&D, fine tuning and teaming up with a brilliant PhD formulation scientist from Minneapolis, we developed four patent-pending “platform” technologies that enable the secure and controlled delivery of “Active” ingredients via yarn to the skin over an extended period of time, and through hundreds of laundering cycles. Textile yarns can now be enhanced to provide the wearer performance improving, healing, and aesthetic capabilities. Textile-Based Delivery is proud to partner with one of the most innovative and proven yarn manufacturers in America. Together we have developed the processes to rapidly and reliably produce Active-enabled yarn for use by your preferred manufacturers.
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About EO Charlotte, Nufabrx, Textile-Based Delivery: Nufabrx manufactures pillowcases designed to actively fight blemishes while its users are asleep.
Charlie Jordan
Founder – CEO of THEOS
Charlie is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at THEOS. Charlie is a hardcore strategist responsible for driving the company’s vision and growth as it provides innovative and unique ways for the beverage alcohol industry to prosper with access to better intel. Under Charlie’s leadership, THEOS has positioned itself to carry the beverage alcohol industry to greater heights. Charlie met Co-Founder Shritesh Bhattarai at Tennessee Technological University.
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About SafeSurv, THEOS: THEOS is the marketplace driving a more connected and data rich environment for beverage suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers.

Sumit Mahawar
Founder & CEO of 1806 Cocktails on Demand
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About 1806 Cocktails on Demand: We curate a menu of the best cocktails and deliver portioned ingredients so you can make them at home.

Dave Trebilcock
Founder and CEO of GrapeSeed
Founder at GrapeSeed
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About GrapeSeed: Members Only Kickstarter for Wine

Michael Paladini
CEO & Founder of Penelope Bourbon
Penelope Bourbon – Founder & CEO
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About Bear Mattress, Penelope Bourbon: Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Rob Sands
CEO of Constellation Brands
Rob Sands began his career as an associate with the Rochester law firm of Harter, Secrest & Emery. He joined Constellation Brands in June 1986 as general counsel overseeing the legal affairs of the company, in particular its acquisitions. In 1993, he was a ppointed to the position of executive vice president and general counsel. In 1998, upon acquisition of the company’s U.K. division that Rob spearheaded, he was appointed to the role of chief executive officer of Constellation International, with responsib ility for oversight of this division. From early 2000 through most of 2002, he served as group president with responsibility for Canandaigua Wine Company and the U.K. Division. In December 2002, Rob was appointed to the roles of president and chief operat ing officer with responsibility for the company’s two divisions, Constellation Wines and Constellation Beers and Spirits. In July 2007, Rob was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the company and serves as a member of Constellation’s board of di rectors. In 2013, u nder Rob’s leadership , Constellation acquired the remaining portion of the Crown Imports beer joint venture along with a state – of – the – art brewery in Mexico and perpetual rights to produce the Grupo Modelo brands in the U.S. With the completion of this acquisition the company’s gross sales reach close to $6 billion , further cementing Constellation Brands as the largest multi – category supplier of beverage alcohol to distributors and retailers in the U.S. Rob is chairman of the board o f the New York Wine and Culinary Center, a member of the board of trustees of the Rochester General Health System, a member of the board and executive committee of the Rochester Business Alliance, and a member of the board of trustees of Thompson Health. In 2008, Rob was named an inaugural member of the Federal Reserve Bank (FED) of New York’s Upstate New York Regional Advisory Board. The 10 – member board provides the FED with business insights for upstate New York
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About Constellation Brands: Constellation Brands is a producer and marketer of beer, premium wine, and spirits brands.

Kim Caviness
Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of Familia Kitchen
Even as a journalist, McMURRY/TMG’s Chief Content Officer Kim Caviness was a content marketer. During her years at the Boston Herald and Outbound Traveler, Kim found that, “as much as I loved writing, I loved editing even more,” she says. “I loved to put together a story in a way that’s gorgeous, that’s smart, that both draws you in and transcends, and that makes people feel and do things they never expected. That’s all packaging, which is just another word for my true love, content strategy.” Yes, Kim uses the word “love” a lot. And her love for her work has led her on an epic journey that began immediately after she graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English and art history. She found her first job at The Magazine Group, the legacy “TMG” in McMURRY/TMG. As one of a dozen employees, she answered the phone, learned AP style and helped put out a publication. After going on to spend a decade in newspapers and magazines—and taking a few years out to go to film school and make movies—Kim discovered brand journalism at American Movie Classics Magazine and at Condé Nast Traveler, where she produced special advertising sections. Creating content to serve brands: She found she loved that, too. “Strategically creating a content experience requires finding the higher truth and meaning of the brand, after deeply delving into its goals and pain points, and connecting all of that to human beings who want things from that brand,” she realized. “We all have a b.s. factor, and we know when we’re being sold to. We all know when content hits us where we live. That’s what we’re going for, always.” Since “coming home” to McMURRY/TMG a decade ago, Kim has poured her love into creating content experiences for clients across all verticals, consumer and b2b, “to the highest standard, no matter the medium, no matter the platform”—including one of her most recent creations, a WebMD Magazine iPad app that she calls a “maga-site.” The app has won multiple industry awards, and as its downloads approach a million, Kim realizes that the app that she couldn’t have dreamed of as a young journalist at the Boston Herald, where the printing presses thundered in the background, is “one of the most rewarding experiences of my career and life.” As Chief Content Officer, Kim has three essential roles: Holding the bar high on the strategy, quality and results of all content initiatives McMURRY/TMG creates, new and ongoing; building and supporting editorial teams that create best-in-class content for centers of excellence across agency’s industry verticals; and helping ensure that the agency innovates in the right ways for clients’ continued success. All of this is topped off by her seasoned good taste and drive to make great content better, smarter, bolder and more digital—yet always essentially human. Overseeing content at McMURRY/TMG? Yes, she loves it. Kim, who grew up in Puerto Rico and is bilingual, now lives in D.C. with her husband and Lego-loving son, Bob.
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About Familia Kitchen: Familia Kitchen is a collection of authentic Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Latino recipes, cooking, and favorite family foods.
Steve Ison
Founder, CEO of Rebecca Creek Distillery
Steve Ison is the CEO and co-founder at Rebecca Creek Distillery.
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About Rebecca Creek Distillery: Rebecca Creek Distillery is a Texas-based craft distiller and makes the finest whiskeys and vodkas for the enjoyment of connoisseurs.
Mark McLaughlin
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Old Line Spirits
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About Old Line Spirits: In February, 2017, Old Line’s doors finally opened to the public in the Highlandtown neighborhood in Baltimore.
Nikhil Kundra
Co-founder & CEO of Partender
Founder & CEO of Partender. @500Startups alum w/ passions in UI/UX, design, marketing, efficiency & solving real-life problems. Previously @quilt. Thankful @Forbes #30under30 in Food & Bev
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About Partender: We help over 15,000 bar and restaurant operators do inventory, ordering, & accounting in 15 min (down from 6 hrs) using patented technology.

Paolo Domeneghetti
CEO & Founder of Domaine Select Wine & Spirits
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About Domaine Select Wine & Spirits: A New York-based importer and distributor of fine wines and artisan spirits

Alexis Beechen
Co-Founder & CEO of The Drop Wine
Alexis Beechen Head of Marketing at Hunterz.
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About Hunterz, Market Mixology, The Drop Wine: The Drop is disrupting the wine industry by combining quality with mobile convenience and creating a Millennial-targeted lifestyle brand.

Ryan Sowards
CEO of Churchkey Can Co
An expert in his field, Ryan Sowards joined the team with more than 15 years of experience in the beverage industry. With past roles including sales and marketing for companies such as Red Bull and VitaminWater, it’s his passion for cultivating business that makes him as asset to the team. Known for his ability to pull resources and teams together, Ryan was an early adopter of the Churchkey concept and finds himself passionate about the brand because of how unique it is. With no boundaries, plus a creative and exciting team, there are new challenges and new experiences to be had every day – and never a dull moment. Ryan, who grew up in Seattle and still considers it home, now lives in Pleasanton, California. For him, the perfect Sunday is a combination of his kids and recreation– maybe the park and a hike, rounded out by dinner on the grill. Most memorable beer experience: “Hiking to a small bar perched on a mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The beer was amazing and it was definitely worth the effort.”
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About Churchkey Can Co: Churchkey Can Co is a craft beer can company manufacturing original flat top steel cans.
Dimitri Haloulos
Chief Executive Officer of BevMo
Dimitri Haloulos is the Chief Executive Officer at BevMo!. He is a former Senior Vice President, Own Brands at Albertsons Safeway and Vice President, Shopper Marketing & Group Vice President, Marketing at Safeway. Mr. Haloulos graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor of science in International Politics.
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About BevMo: BevMo! is a privately held corporation that sells mainly alcoholic beverages.

Justin Fenchel
Co-Founder, CEO of BeatBox Beverages
Tired of a career in financial services, Justin decided there had to be a better way. By creating a company that combined two of his favorite things, music and parties, he is now truly happy. When not running the world’s greatest alcohol company, Justin can be found posting Instagram photos of legendary dogs.
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About BeatBox Beverages, Future/Proof: BeatBox Beverages is the World’s Tastiest Party Punch. The

Dan Schedler
Founder, CEO of Around the Bend Beer Co.
Dan has been a marketer for the past 18 years and a home brewer for last 20 years. With Around the Bend, he is bringing together these two passions. Having worked at luminary ad agencies Campbell Mithun and Leo Burnett as well as leading corporate marketing departments, Dan brings a wealth of experience in building world-class brands. He has led teams large and small to achieve great success for brands such as Kmart, U.S. Army, Discover Card, U.S. Cellular and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store among others. He is a master of marketing strategy and well versed in the latest techniques used to engage audiences via online/social platforms. His skill sets and breadth of experience mean that he is uniquely suited to leading an organization like Around the Bend. Dan also holds a certificate of completion from the Siebel Institute (America’s oldest brewing school) in brewing technology.
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About Around the Bend Beer Co.: We are not renegades. We are not rebelling against anything (as many other beer brands claim to be).
Bill Moses
Co-Founder and CEO of Fermented Sciences
Bill Moses is the founder and CEO of Fermented Sciences.
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About Be Well Nutrition, Fermented Sciences: Fermented Sciences makes handcrafted organic hard kombucha products with probiotics and botanical adaptogens.
Paul Geller
Founder and CEO of Holy Seed Beverage Co.
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About Holy Seed Beverage Co.: Wine & Spirits

Michael Keyes
President and CEO of Proximo Spirits
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About Proximo Spirits: Proximo Spirits specializes in manufacturing and distributes wine and spirits.

Saurabh Abrol
President & CEO of Wine Chateau
Saurabh Abrol (born August 2, 1979), in Delhi, India is co-founder and CEO of Abrol Inc. dba Wine Chateau, a wine & spirits retail business, managing director at Wine Devices, and a social media marketer. Abrol immigrated to the U.S. in 1990, and moved with his family to Los Angeles, California. After graduating from New Jersey Institute of Technology in New Jersey, transformed his father’s small mom-and-pop business into a retail wine mega-business named Wine Chateau and in 2011 started a parallel business called Wine Devices, which specializes in all wine & spirits accessories. August 2013, Abrol announced he would be expanding the Wine Chateau brick & mortar stores to other states and expects to start shipping wines to over 32 international countries by the end of 2015.
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About Le Malt Lounge, Wine Chateau: Wine Chateau is an online wine retailers company providing wine with good quality and low price.
Alex Corazza
CEO of Friuli Italian Wines
Originally from Codroipo in Friuli, Alex’s love affair with wine began as early as sips given to him as a child, common practice in Friuli! His excellent taste in wine and style, and charismatic personality make him a favorite with all types of clients, and he heads up not only strategic direction but also sales for the company.
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About Friuli Italian Wines: Friuli Italian Wines is the fruit of a shared passion for wine.

Ely Sattler
CEO & Executive Chef of Dine Republic
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About Dine Republic: Corporate catering and event catering for the San Francisco Bay Area
Roi Kliper
CEO of City Hive Inc.
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About City Hive Inc.: AI powered all in one commerce platform. City Hive uses machine learning to build and operate constantly adapting mobile apps and websites.

Jason Sherman
Founder and CEO of TapRm
Jason Sherman is the Founder and CEO at TapRm.
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About TapRm: TapRm builds a platform to distribute beer, cider, and hard seltzer brands with direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Alex Farren
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BlueMorphuv
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About BlueMorphuv: BlueMorphuv offers sustainable, waterless tank sanitization systems for household and commercial use.
Charles Barfield
CEO of Savannah Bourbon
Savannah Bourbon co-founder Charles Barfield.
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About Savannah Bourbon: Savannah Bourbon manufactures cocktails and Lowcountry refreshments.
Pamela Dillon
Co-Founder and CEO of Wine Ring
Pam Dillon is the Co-Founder and CEO at Wine Ring.
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About Wine Ring: Preferabli is an AI-driven, B2B2C personalization and recommendation software platform for the wine, beer, and spirits industry.
Brandon Cason
CEO & Cofounder of Canteen Spirits
Brandon Cason is the CEO and co-founder of CANTEEN Spirits.
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About Canteen Spirits: Canteen Spirits provides a line-up of Vodka Soda drinks in the convenience of 12oz cans.
Dano Veal
CEO Master Distiller of Elastico Tequila Grille
Veal practices a “cold-turkey” approach by restricting all profit for the first 7-years and routing it directly to company growth. With self-inflicted hardship and 100% ownership of several ventures, including company assets, led him to become one of the most successful minority millennials in America with a net worth of approximately $500 million as of 2019. Entrepreneur, Master Distiller, Screenwriter. Since 2007 Veal’s alcohol import/export company, The Slap Enterprises of Kansas City. Missouri compiled caches of luxury wine & spirits both in the United States and offshore. His company found global success with his brand Elastico Tequila & Rum which is mostly traded outside of America. In 2018 he founded Elastico Tequila Grille Co. which manufactures home decor and food & beverage products in the USA. Under Elastico Tequila Grille Co. are Elastico Home and Elastico Tequila Hospitality. In his book “Memoirs of a Hardcore Entrepreneur Volume 2” he explains how he achieved his success and teaches his strategies. “What’s more, one hundred percent of the profits that the company has made have been reinvested back in the company. This is not your typical CEO who will take expensive trips and generally abuse the budget of his company in order to enrich his own lifestyle….” Read more at http://www.openthenews.com/how-dano-veal-disrupted-the-big-alcohol-industry/
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About Elastico Tequila Grille: American Craft Distillery
Andréa McBride
CEO of eco.love Wines
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About eco.love Wines, McBride Sisters: Premium Sustainable Wines From New Zealand Made By The McBride Sisters.
Pat Roney
CEO & Founding Partner of Vintage Wine Estates
Pat Roney, President and Founding Partner of Vintage Wine Estates, oversees the Vintage Wine Estates Company along with his commanding executive team and best in class sales force and wine-makers. Recognized as a spirited and savvy business entrepreneur, Pat’s respect for wine spans from the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Paso Robles and across the Northwest corridor. Pat’s business acumen, based on a thoughtful growth model demands a keen eye for today’s wine landscape. In search of established brands at the core of his company, it is a new legacy pursuit that drives him to revitalize and instill new-confidence in legacy brands while he supports new sustainable wine brands with the next generation of entrepreneurs by his side.
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About Vintage Wine Estates: Vintage Wine Estates is a wine & spirits company specializing in wines and services.

Ashley DuBois
Co-Founder & CEO of InnoVint
Co-Founder & CEO at InnoVint
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About InnoVint: Next-Gen Wine Production Software
Tim Keller
Founder & CEO of VinPerfect
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About VinPerfect: VinPerfect offers a screw cap closure with a liner that allows winemakers to specify how much oxygen enters a wine bottle over time.

Eric Wong
Chief Executive Officer of Swill
I am an entrepreneur focused on building dynamic businesses that center around web, mobile technology and social dynamics. I am currently the CEO of Swill, a mobile commerce platform, is simply the easiest way to order popular brands of alcohol for on-demand delivery. Find what you want, click to purchase, and have your order in hand in an hour or less.
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About Swill: Swill is an online delivery platform that enables its users to find and buy from among a range of alcohol products.
Blake Hershey
Founder and CEO of Sippd
Blake Edward Hershey is the Founder and CEO at Sippd.
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About MORI Associates, Sippd: Sippd is an A.I.-powered sommelier that provides users with personalized wine recommendations from any restaurant wine list.
Jane Edwards Creed
President & CEO of WineShop
Jane Creed’s direct selling and food & wine experience spans over 20 years. Prior to becoming WineShop At Home’s Chief Executive Officer and President, she spent 9 years as a Senior Vice President with The Pampered Chef Ltd., and was part of the executive team that helped that company grow from $220 million to almost a billion-dollar company and become acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Jane’s wine and food expertise is extensive and includes writing and/or editing over 20 cookbooks, hosting international press events for California wine-growing regions, as well as individual wineries and winemakers. Jane has written a monthly food and wine column for California’s oldest food and agricultural magazine and executed product and brand development strategies for numerous wineries, including a French wine company entering the American market. She is a member of Women of the Vine & Spirits and the Direct Selling Association, where she has served on the Direct Selling Education Foundation’s Board of Directors. Jane and her husband Dudley have five children and one dog, named Teddie.
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About WineShop: WineShop, a bonded California winery headquartered in the Napa Valley, offers its own exclusive, artisan wine brands.
Suzanne Etheredge
President & CEO of Culinaria
Suzanne Taranto-Etheredge is the President/CEO for Culinaria, a San Antonio, Texas, non-profit that hosts various culinary events in the region such as a 5K Wine & Beer Run, a Festival Week, Restaurant Weeks and Experience Agave. Suzanne has also been instrumental in working with city-wide entities to developing San Antonio’s first urban farm.
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About Culinaria: Culinaria is an independent, not-for-profit organization, committed to promoting San Antonio as a premier food and wine destination.

Jamie Duff
CEO & co-founder of Stolen Rum
I am a young, ambitious Chief Creative Officer and entrepreneur with a disciplined product driven strategic and creative focused brand approach. My background in law and marketing, experience in investment banking in London and with start-ups, and my passion for people, music/ DJ’ing, fashion and design all influence what I do. Stolen Rum’s Founder Jamie Duff Talks About How He Started the Delicious Brand – Galore
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About Stolen Rum: Stolen Rum is an independant rum company focussed upon producing innovative, world class rums presented with a strong design-led aesthetic.

Ryan Browne
Founder & CEO of TopShelf
Founder & CEO at TopShelf Alcohol Delivery App.
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About Central Metro Realty, TopShelf: Alcohol delivery from the palm of your hand

Randy Tucker
Chairman & CEO, Wineshipping
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- Crunchbase
About Wineshipping: The fastest, most accurate, and most cost-efficient delivery network for wine, beer, spirits, and more.
Andrew Hellman
Co-founder & CEO of One Part Co.
Andrew Hellman is the Founder & CEO of Teroforma, an award-winning design brand based in Norwalk, CT that launched in 2007 to create high-quality, innovative products for modern living. With a strong focus on the bar, cocktail, and home entertaining segments, Teroforma made its name in the category with the invention of Whisky Stones®, Wine Twirls® and most recently its 1pt (One Part™) collection of gourmet infusion blends for alcohol and spirits. With +2,500 retail partners, Teroforma also serves customers and clients in the direct, custom, and trade markets in the US and around the world. Recognized for design leadership, Teroforma has been the recipient of numerous awards including the IHA Global Innovation Award for Product Design.
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About One Part Co.: We simplify cocktails for the home consumer and capture after-purchase data for the spirits industry.

Rick Breslin
Co-Founder, CEO of Hello Vino
Co-Founder, CEO at Hello Vino, Inc.
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About Hello Vino: Hello Vino is a wine recommendation service blending personalization with marketing and sales automation.

Alex Frost
Founder and CEO of FloraVina
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About FloraVina: FloraVina is an online marketplace that connects customers with flowers and drinks for their events.

Donte Dean
Founder and CEO of One Vodka
Donte Dean is Founder and CEO at One Vodka.
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About One Vodka: One Vodka is a premium French-bottled vodka company based in Dallas, Texas.
Michael Votto
Chairman & CEO of Votto Vines
Michael Votto is the chief executive officer of Votto Vines. Mike is responsible for securing and negotiating contracts with producers, distributors and third party companies both in the US and Italy as well as overseeing the company’s strategic initiatives. He has spent time living and studying in Florence, Italy and has a degree in European History from Union College and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University. Mike spent six years as a commercial real estate and corporate attorney in New York City and Boston at two American Lawyer Top 100 law firms focusing on the representation of private equity funds and real estate development and management companies primarily in connection with hospitality industry transactions. He has also completed Wine Studies Level II coursework at the Boston University Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center and is a published author in the fields of commercial real estate finance and Italian citizenship and genealogy. Mike is a dual citizen of the United States and the Italian Republic. Mike was named to Connecticut Magazine’s 40 under 40 future business leaders in 2013.
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About Knights of Columbus, Votto Vines: Votto Vines is a wine importing and distribution company specializing in highly rated and boutique wines from Italy, Spain, and France.

Danielle Gillespie
CEO & Founder of CorkGuru
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About CorkGuru: CorkGuru: constantly striving to encourage guests to drink boldly. iPad wine menu app for enterprise & guest app for discovery.

Gaurav Mehta
CEO of Buttery
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About Buttery: Craft Beer & Liquor, delivered in 60 minutes!

Greg Koch
CEO of Stone Brewing
Greg Koch is CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co., the 9th largest craft brewing company in the United States. Koch passionately believes that environmental and social sustainability go hand in hand with brewing amazing beer, and has instilled those principles into the company’s business practices. His vision and enthusiasm for the art of brewing and dedication to supporting local, organic small farms has shaped the company’s two award-winning Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurant experiences in San Diego County. This vision will spread nationally and internationally when the company opens production breweries and destination restaurants in Richmond, Virginia, and Berlin, Germany (the latter making Stone Brewing the first American craft brewer to own and operate a brewery in Europe).
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About Stone Brewing: Stone Brewing Co. is the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States.
Michael Jermyn
CEO & Founder of Palate Wizards
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About Palate Wizards: Palate Wizards is a technology company dedicated to working with artisanal wine, spirit, and craft beers.

Mike Schultz
Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of Schultz’s Gourmet
Mike Schultz is Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer at Schultz’s Gourmet.
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About Schultz’s Gourmet: Offer the highest quality, best tasting cooking hot sauces & seasoning on the market.

Mike Lawler
CEO of VinoWine
CEO at VinoWine.
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About VinoWine: Direct-To-Consumer Wine Marketplace.
Harlem Wright
CEO and Founder of Cosmic Juice
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About Cosmic Juice: Cosmic Juice Club is a beverage startup that serves cold organic pressed juices.
Selena Cuffe
Co-Founder, President & CEO of Heritage Link Brands
Selena is co-founder, President, and CEO of Heritage Link Brands, a company transforming the world’s view of Africa and its diaspora through the medium of pioneering brands. From PBS to Time magazine, her company has been recognized for its social impact, innovation, and award-winning wine portfolio. In 2005, Selena and Khary Cuffe married and subsequently founded Heritage Link Brands upon learning South Africa had a $3 billion wine industry, yet less than 2% of the industry was owned by blacks, who make up over 85% of the country’s population. As of 2016, it is the largest wine importer and producer of African descent in the world. Cuffe, is a graduate of Stanford University and holds an MBA with honors from Harvard University. Prior to founding Heritage Link Brands, Selena served as a global marketer for the Council on International Educational Exchange and Procter & Gamble Company. An avid activist of global trade, education, and exchange, Cuffe is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as an Advisor to the Stanford University Bing Overseas Studies Program, Global Fund for Widows, and Face to Face Health. Selena is an Alumni Board Vice President Emeritus and Alumni Advisor for the Harvard Business School. She has also served as a judge for the Wharton Africa Business Forum. Selena Cuffe has lived in four countries, traveled to 39, and speaks Spanish and Portuguese. Cuffe enjoys sharing her experiences as a friend, wife, and mother of three with those aspiring to make the world a better place.
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About Heritage Link Brands: Heritage Link Brands is a trusted source for curating high quality, organic and sustainable wine, food, and related marketing services.
Chad Rolofson
CEO of Worldwide Beverage Group
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About Worldwide Beverage Group: Worldwide continually aspires to be a premier distribution partner to their suppliers and customers.

Joseph Sheahan
Cofounder / CEO of savvo digital sommelier solutions
Cofounder and CEO of savvo digital sommelier solutions
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About savvo digital sommelier solutions: The “match.com” for the retail wine industry – matching shoppers and brands at the critical point of purchase.

Daniel Deserto
Co-founder & CEO of Bottle
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About Bottle: Mobile application for last-minute deals on group drinking experiences
Jason Glasser
CEO of Beverage Media Group
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About Beverage Media Group: Trade publication with online product search and ordering for the alcoholic beverage industry.