Jim Clerkin, former CEO of the Americas for Moët Hennessy and Jim Beam, and Jeff Menashe, Founder and CEO of Demeter Advisory Group, a leading investment bank to the adult beverage industry, unveiled a new company, Demeter & Co., that will launch its first brand into the U.S. market in late September 2021, introducing the UK’s leading no and low alcohol spirits brand through wholesale as well as direct-to-consumer. Clerkin and Menashe are especially excited to get out of the gate to bring the brand’s fresh take on tequila, one of the fastest growing categories in the US.
Clerkin and Menashe have a long-standing relationship that started when Menashe became M&A Advisor to Clerkin, as he looked to expand Moët Hennessy’s portfolio.
“Covid-19 made us all re-evaluate what really matters in life. I was locked in an apartment in New York feeling increasingly frustrated, doing a lot of thinking – whilst at the same time all these great opportunities were arriving on my desk that I couldn’t move on because I didn’t have the autonomy to do so,” explained Jim Clerkin, Co-Founder of Demeter & Co.
“As I talked to Jeff, he was the first to have the idea of doing something completely new together. We saw an immediate opportunity to mix up the industry’s approach to developing global adult beverage brands, through a digital-first lens and by celebrating the real boldness and expressiveness of their consumers. The speed at which we can move compared to big committees and corporate organizations allows us to take a new approach that will mix up how our industry develops global brands.”