Chopin Import Expands Sales Team with New Hire and Promotions
WILMINGTON, Delaware – August 23, 2018 – Chopin Imports Limited (CIL), the exclusive marketing company for Chopin Vodka brand, Dorda Liqueurs, Clase Azul Tequila, La Pinta Pomegranate Liqueur, Portobello Road Gin, and Australian Bitters, has welcomed a new team member and promoted four current team members. The expansion supports the company’s continued growth, which includes the recent addition of Chuck Kane’ as Chief Operating Officer. The appointments are effective immediately.
“Adding talent and strategically-advancing the Chopin Imports team will power our ability to deliver record growth for our brand portfolio,” said Tad Dorda, Founder and CEO of Chopin Imports. “Chopin Imports is driven by its people and consistent results – two ingredients to our continued success.”
David Berlin has been appointed to Eastern Regional Division Vice President. Berlin brings 27 years of experience in hospitality, wine and spirits. He most recently served as Eastern Regional Sales Manager for 3 Badge Beverage Corporation where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of craft spirit brands and increased sales by double digits year-over-year. His background includes management of numerous wine and spirit portfolios both on- and off-premise as well as chain distribution. Berlin graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
The team members receiving promotions include Jeffrey Dechiro to Vice President of Sales, D’Shawn Kerrins to Vice President of National Accounts, Inessa Shafran to North Central Regional Manager and Josh Irving to South Central Regional Manager.
Jeffrey Dechiro joined Chopin Imports in 2012 and most recently served as Central Region Division Vice President. In his new role as Vice President of Sales, Dechiro will be responsible for all aspects of company business related to sales, including the oversight of Chopin Imports’ sales group and distributor partners; national and regional budgets; programming and sales goals. Dedicating his career to the spirits industry, he spent 16 years rising through the ranks at Southern Wine & Spirits ending with his role as vice president of spirits in Colorado. Additionally, Dechiro has achieved a Level 1 Certificate from the Master Court of Sommeliers.
D’Shawn Kerrins moves to Vice President of National Accounts, where she will continue to build upon the success she shaped in her role as national accounts manager. Kerrins is responsible for the overall direction of sales and strategy to increase business opportunities and drive revenue from key national accounts and strategic customers across all regions. She has worked in the wine and spirits industry for 20 years for both the supplier and distributor network, spending the past nine years focused on spirit portfolios.
Inessa Shafran becomes North Central Regional Manager where she will be responsible for programming, distributor relationships and achieving sales goals for both on- and off-premise accounts in Ill., Ind., Iowa, Minn., Mo., S.D., N.D., Wis., and Tenn. She started her career in sales and has spent the last four years in the spirits industry.
Josh Irving moves to South Central Regional Manager. Irving has worked in the wine and spirits industry for eight years and joined Chopin Imports in 2015. In his new role, he will be responsible for sales goals, programming and distributor relationships in Ark., Colo., La., Okla., Texas, Neb., and Kan.
About Chopin Imports Ltd.
Chopin Imports Limited (CIL) was established to market one of the world’s top vodkas, Chopin Vodka, and other expressions created by the Dorda family. Chopin Vodka products are distilled from local ingredients grown in Podlasie region, Poland (100km east of Warsaw) and the entire distillation process – from growing, cooking, fermenting and distilling raw ingredients, to bottling – is carefully tended on the Dorda family property. Chopin Vodka was the first to debut ultra-luxury vodka in 1993 with its iconic bottles– a design that has since redefined the vodka sector, and the only brand in the world to produce a range of distinctive vodkas from different ingredients. CIL offers its renowned single-ingredient vodkas – potato, rye and wheat; limited-edition line of SINGLE, once distilled spirits that showcase just how different vodkas can be; and a duo of Dorda Liqueurs (Dorda Double Chocolate and Dorda Sea Salt Caramel). Naturally gluten free, Chopin Vodka has been named one of the best vodkas by the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition for eight years consecutively with Chopin Potato being the most awarded potato vodka in the world. CIL has since used its successful sales and marketing insights to expand its super-premium agency brand portfolio.
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