With a family legacy in the spirits industry dating back to Prohibition, combined with his experience working in restaurants, agencies, and on the brand side, Andrew brings a distinct perspective to the industry. Get to know more about his background and how Chinola went from a concept to a global brand.
What was your experience in the spirits industry before Chinola?
My family goes back four generations in the wine and spirits industry – back to the bootlegging days of prohibition. 100 years later, my family and I are still involved in different facets of the industry. My first interaction with wine was at age 7 in a culinary class where I learned how to use it in cooking applications. I spent the next 15 years in various roles from the kitchen to the bar, front to back of house, opening restaurants and night clubs, to working at marketing agencies. Then at 23 I took a role at Proximo Spirits as the Business Development Consultant for Jose Cuervo. Over the last 10 years I have worked on greenfield distillery projects like Great Jones Distillery in NYC and M&A deals that involved brand creation, visitor experience building, the design of spaces that would function as tasting rooms and event halls… and of course the distillation of spirits. Within that tenure, I created DisPact Ventures, a fund meant for category disruption where an entrepreneur can get guidance on how brands are built, the lessons learned along the way, and the tools necessary for fueling growth.
How did you get involved with Chinola?
Chinola was brought to me by one of our co-founders 10 years ago in a plastic bottle with liquid that separated and didn’t age well, but the taste was phenomenal. He was on a flight back to Miami when a friend staying with me called him and said get to NY because we needed to meet. 5 years later and 2,200 test batches and alterations later, Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur was born and launched in NY and FL.
What are some of the challenges with creating natural liqueurs made with fresh fruit?
No one does it for a reason. Shelf stability is almost impossible to achieve with something fresh, especially when you take the refrigeration component out. PH and Brix (ie sugar) are the most important, followed by the process and balance of various proofs and styles of neutral cane spirit. This took combining techniques from all walks of food and bev manufacturing and a lot of dedicated people from the farmer all the way to the distiller and bottler. But the juice was worth the squeeze!
What have been some of your key learnings since bringing Chinola to market?
Well, if it was easy anyone would do it. Instant gratification is not what brands should be built on nor the idea of building for acquisition. Too many times we see people looking to grow and sell and that’s where they fail. What we learned early on is our vision for the brand: create natural liqueurs that embody the taste and aroma of fresh fruit. We want to see our liqueurs on shelves and at bars for generations to come. I could talk days about process and logistical learnings, but without the drive and passion, those don’t matter.
What’s on the horizon for Chinola?
Continue to bring our award-winning fresh fruit liqueurs to the rest of the US (currently we are in 40 states) along with expanding our international distribution. Stay tuned for these updates!
Between passion fruit and mango, do you have a favorite?
I love all my children the same, but it depends on my mood. If I am craving something tart and a little sour that reminds me of my childhood (I loved Warheads) – passion fruit is my go-to. If I am looking to sip on something sweet or viscous with a lingering taste of the Caribbean, I go for mango.
Favorite Chinola cocktail?
It might sound crazy, but I was never a sweets person. My dessert would always be my favorite appetizer or a bowl of fresh fruit, even as a child. With that being said (and if I have the patience and arm strength to shake it properly), nothing beats a Chinola Fizz with egg white foam protruding above the rim of the glass with spicy bitters on top. When I am not as ambitious, it’s the Porn Star Martini. When entertaining for the masses (which we do weekly), nothing beats a well balanced Marg, Whiskey Sour or finally, our favorite crowd pleaser: The Chismosa, which means gossiper in Spanish!
