Colorado's Montanya Rum is formalizing its growth infrastructure, announcing a six-member advisory board that collectively brings more than 50 years of beverage industry experience across distribution, brand commercialization, influencer marketing, and startup operations. For a women-owned, B-Corp certified craft distillery competing in an increasingly consolidated spirits market, the move signals a shift from founder-driven momentum to structured scale.

The Board's Reach

The appointments cover territory that matters for an independent spirits brand pushing into national distribution. Jeff Sarfino, Chairman and CEO of Lanterna Distributors, Inc., adds channel intelligence at a moment when on- and off-premise placement decisions are growing more competitive. Jimmy Bruton, most recently CMO for Via Carota Craft Cocktails, brings 30-plus years of alcoholic beverage marketing depth. Michelle Ivey, CEO of Lake Hour Cocktails and co-founder of Como No Energy, scaled Illegal Mezcal from early growth through its acquisition by Bacardi — precisely the kind of exit and brand-building track record that investors and retail buyers pay attention to. Taylor Foxman, Founder and CEO of The Industry Collective, rounds out the communications angle as the brand's own press contact. William Kehler adds supply-chain and influencer-marketing expertise across three launched product lines in whiskey, flavored shots, and hemp beverages. Strategic board leader Sivan Cotel rounds out the group with two decades of startup and nonprofit governance experience.

What This Signals for Operators and Buyers

Montanya's board construction is a useful map of where craft spirits brands are investing attention right now. Distribution relationships, influencer-led discovery, and brand-to-acquisition narrative are the three levers pulling the most weight in the premium spirits segment. The Illegal Mezcal playbook — build a culturally resonant brand, prove velocity at retail and on-premise, attract a strategic acquirer — is one the wider industry has tried to replicate since Bacardi's move, and Ivey's presence here is a deliberate reference point.

For foodservice and hospitality buyers, Montanya's portfolio is worth a closer look on its own terms. The brand distills at 8,888 feet in Crested Butte using Rocky Mountain snowmelt and Louisiana-grown sugarcane; the altitude slows fermentation and deepens barrel maturation. The core range runs from Platino (unaged, versatile) through Oro (two-year American white oak ex-bourbon barrel), Exclusiva (three-year with wine barrel finishing and a dry tannic finish), and Valentia (double-matured with a rye finish) — the kind of differentiated portfolio that gives a beverage director genuine menu storytelling. A Pineapple Habanero Rum rounds out the lineup for operators leaning into bold, heat-forward cocktail programming.

Megan Campbell, CEO and Head Distiller of Montanya Rum, framed the board's mandate around disciplined growth without brand drift: "This advisory board brings together experienced founders, operators, and brand builders who will challenge our thinking, expand our network, and help us scale with discipline — while staying true to the fun, adventurous lifestyle and strong sense of place that make Montanya Rum unique."

For operators evaluating emerging spirits partners, the advisory board formation is a useful due-diligence signal. Brands that invest in governance and outside expertise before they need it tend to be more reliable distribution and programming partners than those who build infrastructure reactively. Watch Montanya's on-premise placement and retail door count over the next 12 to 18 months as the more telling indicator of whether this infrastructure translates to velocity.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.