Crafting Legends, Pouring Memories
Our mission at Round 2 Spirits is to develop innovative, disruptive, and iconic spirits brands that capture consumers’ imagination and create memorable, shared experiences.
Another
round
As our name implies, we’ve done this before.
We were founded by a small group of seasoned executives – all close friends – who previously worked together to create and lead prominent global spirits brands. With Round 2 Spirits, we recognized a tremendous opportunity to leverage our collective experience to identify scalable consumer opportunities for innovative products that aren’t being addressed by today’s brands.
John Paul DeJoria
Partner
An American entrepreneur, self-made billionaire, and philanthropist best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and Patrón Tequila, DeJoria has been described as a living example of the American Dream due to his rise from homelessness to success in business. DeJoria is perennially ranked on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans, and is a passionate and active philanthropist, supporting numerous social and environmental causes.
Ed Brown
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ed began his career at Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, at the time one of the largest spirits companies in the world, serving in a wide range of executive roles over his decade-long career at the company. Most recently, Ed was CEO of The Patrón Spirits Company and Patrón Spirits International AG, where over his 20 years there he grew Patrón into the largest and most-respected ultra-premium tequila in the world. In 2010, Forbes named him one of the top marketers of the year, and in 2018, he completed the sale of Patrón to Bacardi Limited for $5.1 billion, the single largest sale of any brand in the industry’s history.
Brad Vassar
Chief Commercial Officer
Brad brings 37 years of senior leadership experience in the wholesale wine and spirits business, serving the last 15 years as the Chief Operating Officer of Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits. During his tenure, Brad has partnered with thousands of brands across a diverse range of channels, ranging from neighborhood bars to the largest chains and club stores nationally, giving him an unparalleled understanding of how to quickly build and scale brands through a complex distribution network.
Dave Wilson
Chief Strategy Officer
As a 40-year veteran in the wine and spirits industry, Dave held positions of increasing responsibility in all phases of the industry including manufacturing, finance and administration, and sales and marketing both on the supplier and distributor side. His last position as President International and Chief Operating Officer for Patrón Spirits, Dave led the organization to explosive growth both in the U.S. and abroad, resulting in the eventual sale to Bacardi Limited.
Lee Applbaum
President and Chief Operating Officer
For more than 30 years Lee has been building iconic brands and leading global marketing teams across a wide range of iconic brands including Patrón Tequila, Grey Goose Vodka, Target Australia, Wheels Up, and Coca-Cola. He has been named to the Forbes inaugural Entrepreneurial CMO list of 50 chief-marketers, received the Adweek Brand Genius award, and been named Business Insider’s “Most Innovative CMO.”
John Paul DeJoria
Partner
An American entrepreneur, self-made billionaire, and philanthropist best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and Patrón Tequila, DeJoria has been described as a living example of the American Dream due to his rise from homelessness to success in business. DeJoria is perennially ranked on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans, and is a passionate and active philanthropist, supporting numerous social and environmental causes.
Lee Applbaum
President and Chief Operating Officer
For more than 30 years Lee has been building iconic brands and leading global marketing teams across a wide range of iconic brands including Patrón Tequila, Grey Goose Vodka, Target Australia, Wheels Up, and Coca-Cola. He has been named to the Forbes inaugural Entrepreneurial CMO list of 50 chief-marketers, received the Adweek Brand Genius award, and been named Business Insider’s “Most Innovative CMO.”
Ed Brown
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ed began his career at Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, at the time one of the largest spirits companies in the world, serving in a wide range of executive roles over his decade-long career at the company. Most recently, Ed was CEO of The Patrón Spirits Company and Patrón Spirits International AG, where over his 20 years there he grew Patrón into the largest and most-respected ultra-premium tequila in the world. In 2010, Forbes named him one of the top marketers of the year, and in 2018, he completed the sale of Patrón to Bacardi Limited for $5.1 billion, the single largest sale of any brand in the industry’s history.
Brad Vassar
Chief Commercial Officer
Brad brings 37 years of senior leadership experience in the wholesale wine and spirits business, serving the last 15 years as the Chief Operating Officer of Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits. During his tenure, Brad has partnered with thousands of brands across a diverse range of channels, ranging from neighborhood bars to the largest chains and club stores nationally, giving him an unparalleled understanding of how to quickly build and scale brands through a complex distribution network.
Dave Wilson
Chief Strategy Officer
As a 40-year veteran in the wine and spirits industry, Dave held positions of increasing responsibility in all phases of the industry including manufacturing, finance and administration, and sales and marketing both on the supplier and distributor side. His last position as President International and Chief Operating Officer for Patrón Spirits, Dave led the organization to explosive growth both in the U.S. and abroad, resulting in the eventual sale to Bacardi Limited.
We’re committed to supporting others.
As founders (and friends) our philanthropic passions have been a strong thread in what has kept us connected to each other and to communities we aim to serve.
We’re bringing together the best.
Building a team of top industry talent who all share a commitment to building high-quality, world-class artisanal spirits, we’re planning a national launch of our first brand later this year.
Weber Ranch Vodka is made exclusively with Blue Weber Agave. Our naturally 100% gluten, carb and additive free vodka is hand-harvested in Mexico, and further distilled at our Weber Ranch Distillery in Texas, for an extraordinary taste and finish.
Discover Now