Co-Founder
Executive Leadership
- Organized internal growth strategy
- Established relationships and co-designed products and partnerships with Michelin/James Beard award winning chefs and sommeliers; Dominique Crenn, André Houston Mack, Sean Brock, Miguel de Leon and others
- Implemented funding strategies, executed on raising capital (over $1M) from an institutional fund as well as friends/family/angels
Sales
- Built company from $0 to $5.0M annually (cumulative $10.4M in 3 years)
- Oversaw the launch of the first direct to consumer “non-alcoholic” wine club that launched 3 new products each month (108 as of August 2024)
- Established a wholesale distribution network using natural channel distributors and the 3 tier-alcohol distributors
- Secured listings in natural retailers such as Sprouts and New Seasons Market, Specialty retailers like Thrive Market and Erewhon, and over 100 independent spirit/wine shops
Operations & Product Development
- Co-developed manufacturing facility to make, bottle and ship finished product
- Ideated and supported the product development of 70+ commercialized beverages
- Vetted and negotiated contracts with co-manufactures for canned Proxies
- Oversaw the design concepts for Proxies labels and brand assets
Proxies
Proxies
What are Proxies?
By blending wine grapes, fruits, teas, spices, and complex ferments, Proxies go way beyond the grape to capture everything that makes wine a great pairing with food—acidity, body, and tannin—without the alcohol.
What do they taste like?
Delicious drinks designed to pair with dinner. Proxies don't necessarily taste like a specific type of wine, but are always inspired by the flavor components that make wine a perfect pairing for food.
How are Proxies made?
Most non-alcoholic wine is made stripping the alcohol out and removing all the body, balance, and structure that makes wine such a special beverage. We take an entirely different approach, creating blends from the ground up that truly serve the wine occasion. Our ingredients include varietal wine grape juices from vineyards in Europe, premium teas from around the world, verjus produced to our specifications by a winery in Ontario’s Niagara valley, and an array of herbs, spices, and aromatic roots.
