Francisco Tonarely

Co-Founder, President & CEO

Distillier LLC Grand Brulot

Miami, FL, USA

Biography

Francisco Tonarely is Co-Founder, President & CEO of Distillier LLC Grand Brulot, VSOP Cognac & Café Liqueur.

With 30 years of executive management and entrepreneurial experience in the US, Europe and Latin America, Francisco has held key management positions with industry-leading companies including Stock Spirits Group USA, Seagram Spirits and Wine Group, Pepsi Cola International, Colgate Palmolive, Bacardi International and Brand Equity Partners Inc. Francisco has a wide range of experience across consumer goods, Italian specialty foods, spirits, soft drinks, all purpose cleaners and soaps as well as financial & insurance services. He was US Consultant for MEC3, specialty foods company and was on the Board of Directors of Triple S Management, a publicly traded company on the NYSE. While serving on the board for over 5 years he served on the Compensation Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee.

Educated at Fairfield University, Francisco graduated with a BS in Business, Marketing and BBA in Marketing and Management.

Francisco Tonarely’s Newsfeed

Grand Brulot - a Classic Blend of Cognac and Ecuadorian Coffee

The idea for the drink was instigated in 2015 by John Bernbach who asked for the help of industry veteran Francisco Tonarely to investigate the potential of a cognac/brandy drink blended with coffee...This cognac comes from the Tardy Cognac Group and the grapes come from its single estate. Grand Brulot also plays homage to a New Orleans specialty of the same name that is still served around town.

Coffee drives new product development in food, beverage

“We’re impacted by the growing trend of mixing coffee in a variety of ways to achieve complex flavors, wellness benefits and more,” says Francisco Tonarely, CEO & Co-founder of Grand Brulot. “Our goal is to showcase the most flavorful and delicious rich note of this Ecuadorian coffee while keeping a very balanced acidity and freshness."

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Francisco Tonarely’s Background

Distillier LLC Grand Brulot

Co-Founder, President & CEO

Oct 2017 - Present

Miami, FL, USA

Grand Brulot is hand-crafted in the Cognac region of France. An 80 proof unique VSOP Cognac blended with Ecuadorean coffee beans, the blend is aged in French oak barrels to allow the flavor to meld.

Brand Equity Partners inc

Sole Proprietor

Miami, FL, USA

BEPinc work closely with Destilería 7 Leguas in developing and managing the business abroad. Destilería 7 Leguas is a super premium 100% Agave Tequilana Weber "Azul" and was the original and exclusive supplier of their formula to Patron Tequila.

Stock Spirits Group

CEO North America

Miami, FL, USA

Stock Spirits Group aims to make spirits drinking more enjoyable. They have more than 45 core brands which are exported internationally to more than 50 countries globally.

Pepsi

Marketing Director, Latin America

Boca Raton, FL, USA

Francisco worked at Pepsi Cola International, the famous global drinks brand.

Seagram Company Ltd

Global Group Head

New York, NY, USA

Seagram Company Ltd (formerly trading as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational conglomerate and distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario. In the 1990s it was the largest owner of alcoholic beverage lines in the world.

Colgate-Palmolive

Brand Manager, All Purpose Cleaners & Toilet Soaps

San Juan, PR

Colgate-Palmolive has global brands sold in over 200 countries and territories; Colgate, Speed Stick, Lady Speed Stick, Palmolive, Ajax, Softsoap and Hill’s pet Nutrition which are among the world’s most recognizable household names.

Bacardi Limited

VP Marketing, Spain

Barcelona, ES

Bacardi is the world's largest privately held spirits company with several premium brands that have won global acclaim.

MEC3

US Consultant

New York, NY, USA

Founded in 1984, MEC3 is the leading global manufacturer of ingredients for artisanal gelato and pastries, which it exports to more than 140 countries globally.

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Current Board Positions

NACD

Board Leadership Fellow

National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) empowers more than 20,000 directors in the U.S. to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards to strengthen investor trust & public confidence by ensuring that today's directors are well prepared for tomorrow's challenges.

Previous Board Positions

Triple-S Management Corporation

Member of the Board of Directors, Compensation Committee & Nominations and Governance Committee.

San Juan, PR

Triple-S Management Corporation is the leading managed care company. Known as Blue Cross Blue Shield, in Puerto Rico, it delivers health insurance coverage to one in three Americans across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Francisco Tonarely’s Education

Fairfield University

BS Business, Marketing BBA, Marketing Management

1976 - 1980