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 edit
Braxton was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter Guyanese immigrants.[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 edit
Civil engineering edit
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 edit
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]
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Braxton pivoted to making hand sanitizer for hospitals and the Department of Homeland Security.[3]
References edit
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ VODKA, BLACK MOMMA. "BLACK MOMMA VODKA". BLACK MOMMA VODKA. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ a b "This Mompreneur Went From Making Vodka To Hand Sanitizer". Essence. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ a b c Whitehead, Jay (2022-07-15). "Black Momma in the Pink". Distiller Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ a b "Vanessa Braxton, CEO/President at Black Momma Vodka". bio.prlog.org. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ a b "Vanessa Braxton, First African American Woman Master Distiller". Women in Distilling. Retrieved 2023-03-21.