Vanessa Braxton
| Vanessa Braxton | |
|---|---|
| File:Vanessa Braxton.jpgVanessa Braxton.jpg | |
| Born | Brooklyn, NY |
| 🏫 Education | Negotiation for Executives program at Harvard Business School Consortium with MIT |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Pratt Institute |
| 💼 Occupation | Master Distiller, brand/business owner, and civil engineer |
| Known for | Being the first African American woman master distiller and blender, and to own a nationally distributed vodka. Founder of Black Momma Vodka and Gravesande Braxton Distillers. |
| 🌐 Website | https://gravesandebraxtondistillers.com/home; https://blackmommavodka.com/ |
Vanessa Braxton is the first female African American Master Distiller and Master Blender in the United States and the first African American woman to own a nationally distributed vodka.[1] Braxton is the founder of Black Momma Vodka and owner of Gravesande Braxton Distillers.[2][3] She is the only Black woman in the country to fully own her own 15-acre farm grow house, manufacturing facility, and distillery.[3]
Early life and education
Braxton was born in Brooklyn, NY. Her parents were immigrants from Guyana.[4][5] She attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and graduated with her degree in construction management and engineering in 1992.[6][7] She completed a Negotiation for Executives program at Harvard Business School, Consortium with MIT.[5][7]
Career
Civil engineering
Braxton was a civil engineer in New York for twenty years during which she oversaw multi-million dollar projects and served as Vice President of Business Development for COMTO, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.[8]
Distilling
Braxton and her family moved to Santa Clarita, California in 2009.[8][6] Around this time, she decided to start a liquor company. A friend in Oregon invited her to use his equipment. She was granted a license in 2012 and officially launched Black Momma Vodka.[6] The same year, she was awarded a New York State Proclamation by the Legislator, 16th District for her accomplishment.[9] During the Covid-19 pandemic, Braxton pivoted to making hand sanitizer for hospitals and the Department of Homeland Security.[3]
References
- ↑ "Meet the First Black Woman Owner and Operator of a Nationally Distributed Vodka". Black Business News | Directory of Black-Owned Businesses. 2018-05-13. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ↑ "Founder of the First Black Woman-Owned Distillery in the U.S. Receives 5 Proclamations From the Government". BlackNews.com. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 NationalBlackGuide (April 6, 2022). "Founder of the First Black Woman-Owned Distillery Receives 5 NY State Government Proclamations". National Black Guide. Retrieved March 6, 2024. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "About Us". Black Momma Vodka. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "This Mompreneur Went From Making Vodka To Hand Sanitizer". Essence. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Whitehead, Jay (2022-07-15). "Black Momma in the Pink". Distiller Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Vanessa Braxton, CEO/President at Black Momma Vodka". bio.prlog.org. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Vanessa Braxton, First African American Woman Master Distiller". Women in Distilling. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ↑ "Compulsive Magazine - Fermenting a Legacy". compulsivemagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
This article "Vanessa Braxton" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Vanessa Braxton. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
