San Antonio’s Rebecca Creek Distillery, among the larger craft distilleries in North America, has appointed former Pernod Ricard executive and 30-year industry veteran, Howard Jeffery, as its new chief operating officer.
Before joining Rebecca Creek, Jeffery served as a general manager and vice president for Pernod Ricard. There he managed the Continental Division, covering a large portion of the U.S., including 48 distributors and brokers, and was responsible for the sales and marketing of Pernod Ricard’s extensive U.S. spirits portfolio, including Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky and other major brands.
Jeffery also spent 12 years working for Allied Domecq, one of the world’s largest spirit companies, before Pernod Ricard acquired it in 2005. He held senior positions in both the U.S. and the U.K., including vice president of sales and vice president of commercial best practices in the U.S., and business group director and trade marketing director in the U.K.
Prior to that, Jeffery held several sales and marketing roles in the U.K. beer industry with Grand Metropolitan Brewing and Bass Brewers, in which he played a role in launching Budweiser in the U.K.
“The appointment of Howard Jeffery reinforces our commitment to continue to grow the Rebecca Creek brand the right way and achieve our vision of establishing Rebecca Creek Whiskey and Enchanted Rock Vodka as leading craft American-made spirits,” says Steve Ison, CEO and founder of Rebecca Creek Distillery. “With Howard’s vast experience working with two of the world’s largest spirit companies, strong U.S. wholesaler relationships, and industry expertise with domestic and international brands, he will no doubt play an integral role in facilitating the long-term growth of Rebecca Creek Distillery.”
Founded in 2009 by Steve Ison, Rebecca Creek Distillery was one of the first legal distilleries in South Texas since Prohibition. It has since grown, with more than 100,000 cases expected to be sold annually by 2018, the company says.
Rebecca Creek Distillery recently announced it has raised $15 million in new capital to boost production, increase capacity, enhance marketing and move forward with plans to build a brand-new, state-of-the-art distillery that will quadruple its current production capability.
