Firestone Walker’s Macon Joins Jiant as CSO

The Los Angeles-based modern alcohol brand Jiant announces the hire of beer industry executive David Macon in the role of Chief Sales Officer. Macon joins Jiant during a year of unprecedented growth, as they consistently implement widespread expansion and are currently the fastest growing hard kombucha brand in the U.S. Supported by a recent flow of formidable product innovation and inspired flavor releases in the Hard Kombucha and Hard Tea categories, Macon’s turn as CSO marks yet another stake in the ground for the small but mighty adult beverage brand, furthering its unique growth potential in the “beyond beer” category.

“Dave Macon is an absolute force of nature. He brings to Jiant a deep playbook and proven track record of success, having helped scale two of the most venerable alcohol brands of the past 20 years in Firestone Walker and New Belgium”, exclaims Jiant Co-Founder Larry Haertel Jr. “His passionate brand of leadership and experience building a culture of winning will be invaluable as Jiant enters this exciting next chapter of growth.”

On joining the venerable team at Jiant, Macon notes: “Aaron, Larry and the team have built an incredible foundation and have achieved impressive inroads in the category with innovative approaches, commitment to ingredient transparency and not cutting corners on quality. This central vision is why I decided to join them in their quest. I am very honored to be a part of it and look forward to continuing the journey with the team.”

David Macon has proven to be a progressive and dynamic leader in the adult beverage and beer industries for the last 23 years. He joins Jiant from California craft brewer Firestone Walker, where he was promoted to Chief Sales Officer in 2020 after six years serving as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. As CSO, Macon led a team of over 100 with four division sales leads as direct reports and oversaw all sales operations, fulfillment, training and development, national accounts, and analytics. In his VP role, he was actively involved in brand development for top tellers Mind Haze IPA, 805 Blond Ale, 805 Cerveza, and more. Prior to his tenure at Firestone Walker Macon held various sales roles over almost 15 years at New Belgium Brewing Company including Sales Director (West Division). 

Jiant continues to be a leader in innovation and ingredient transparency within the ever-evolving alcohol beverage industry. Last month, they took their first dip into RTD craft cocktail culture with the launch of Mai Tai – a 12oz, 8% ABV cocktail-inspired hard kombucha – which offers a layered, complex, and satisfying cocktail-like experience using teas and botanicals rather than spirits. Of equal importance to the brand platform are Jiant’s immensely popular, higher ABV hard teas – such as Kiwi Strawberry Yerba Mate – a 19.2oz, 7% ABV Hard Tea – another “full strength option” for consumers looking for a refreshing iced tea-like experience that packs a punch and deliciously flavorful. 

Since 2019, Jiant has taken pride in crafting responsibly sourced hard kombucha and hard teas and has quickly created an expansive network with top-tier distributors and retail partners such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Total Wine & More, and Sprouts. In addition to the newly launched Southeast states, Jiant is currently available throughout California, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. Jiant will also be launching the brand in Washington and Oregon with Columbia Distributing. 

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