Crested Butte-based Montanya Rum has formed a six-member advisory board drawing on more than 50 combined years of spirits, beverage, and brand-building experience, signaling an intentional push toward broader national scale for the women-owned, B-Corp-certified craft distillery.
The roster brings together executives with track records at companies ranging from Bacardi-acquired Illegal Mezcal to Via Carota Craft Cocktails. Members include Jeff Sarfino, Chairman and CEO of Lanterna Distributors, Inc.; Jimmy Bruton, a 30-year alcoholic beverage veteran and former CMO of Via Carota Craft Cocktails; Michelle Ivey, CEO of Lake Hour Cocktails and Co-Founder of Como No Energy, who helped scale Illegal Mezcal through its Bacardi acquisition; Sivan Cotel, a strategic executive with two decades of startup and board leadership experience; Taylor Foxman, Founder and CEO of The Industry Collective; and William Kehler, a spirits veteran who has launched three product lines spanning whiskey, flavored shots, and hemp beverages, with expertise in influencer marketing and supply chain.
Why It Matters
For operators and buyers tracking the craft spirits segment, advisory board construction at this level is a reliable signal that a brand is moving from boutique positioning toward broader on- and off-premise distribution plays. Montanya's choice of advisors—weighted toward distribution, marketing, and commercialization—reflects the classic inflection point where a well-regarded craft producer shifts from reputation-building to volume growth. The collective expertise spans finance, venture capital, go-to-market strategy, communications, and operations, giving the distillery coverage across the disciplines most critical to scaling a premium spirits brand without eroding its identity.
Megan Campbell, CEO and Head Distiller of Montanya Rum, framed the move around disciplined growth: "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."
The Product Foundation
Founded in 2008 and distilled at 8,888 feet using Rocky Mountain snowmelt and Louisiana-grown sugarcane, Montanya's altitude-driven fermentation and barrel maturation process is the brand's central differentiator. Its core portfolio spans Platino (unaged), Oro (two years in ex-bourbon American white oak), Exclusiva (three years with a wine barrel finish), and Valentia (double-matured with a rye barrel finish). A Pineapple Habanero Rum rounds out the lineup as a flavored expression. The distillery's destination tasting room on Elk Avenue in Crested Butte remains open daily and serves as a brand-experience anchor as the company pursues wider distribution.
The move aligns with broader premiumization trends across the American rum category, where craft producers have been gaining ground with on-premise buyers seeking differentiated back-bar stories. Operators evaluating craft spirits programs will find Montanya's mountain-provenance narrative and certified sustainability credentials increasingly relevant as consumer demand for traceable, mission-aligned brands continues to shape restaurant beverage programming.
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.
