(NEW YORK) Ming River, a new expression of Sichuan baijiu for the US and European markets, has appointed Antoinette Cattani as Market Development Manager. Based in Oakland, CA, Cattani brings over 20 years in spirit sales, brand building, and management experience to the Chinese grain spirit, which was founded in 2018 and is crafted at Luzhou Laojiao, China’s oldest continuously operating distillery.

Cattani’s career began behind the bar before joining famed liquor importer Sidney Frank Importing in 1991. There, Cattani participated in the successful launches of Jägermeister in 1991 and Grey Goose Vodka in 1996, while being personally mentored by Sidney Frank himself. Following her eight-year run at Sidney Frank, Antoinette was recruited by Southern Wine & Spirits, where she gained additional experience in sales as well as distribution and consumption. After three years in this role, Cattani embarked on a new journey as the U.S. Brand Ambassador for Fernet-Branca, which notably became one of the top five fastest growing global brands. After her prosperous efforts with Fernet-Branca, Cattani branched out on her own and co-founded Cattani Imports with her brother, working with well-known European and U.S. suppliers including Lucas Bols, Pernod Ricard and Frederick Wildman to build brands such as Bols Genever, Chartreuse, Damrak Gin, and Becherovka.

Since her arrival on the bar scene, Cattani has become a leader in category education and brand building, ultimately with the goal of connecting esoteric spirits with the bartending community and vice versa. “Ming River was founded with the intention of educating the world on the complexity and history of the baijiu category, starting with an accessible baijiu that is created using time-honored techniques,” explains Ming River CEO and co-founder Bill Isler. “Antoinette’s career history of grass roots brand building and transforming divisive spirits into household names aligns with our mission. Through her work with Ming River, we believe she is equipped to introduce Western palates to an entirely new category.”

For more information, visit www.MingRiver.com.

# # #

About Ming River
Ming River is the original Sichuan baijiu. Crafted by Luzhou Laojiao, China’s oldest continuously operating distillery since 1573. It uses time honored traditional methods passed from master to apprentice for over 20 generations. Ming River is distilled from grain, 45% alc./vol, and imported by Park Street Imports, LLC, Miami, FL.

Press releases are generated outside of Spirited magazine and the information contained does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Spirited or its parent company, Sonoma Media Investments.