Raising a Glass to Closing the Gap
The Goal: Raise $100,000 to benefit the James Beard Foundation Women’s Leadership Programs!
As a woman-owned and led Distillery in Durham, NC, we’re on a relentless quest to produce unrivaled contemporary gin and forge new pathways for women in spirits and hospitality.
We’ve partnered with the James Beard Foundation Women’s Leadership Programs to support impactful programming to help dismantle the barriers hindering women’s professional advancement and illuminate their path to success.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability.
Raise a glass to these inspiring trailblazers!
Show your support for these culinary leaders by ordering a “Closing the Gap” cocktail March - October 2024. For every cocktail purchased, Conniption Gin will donate $1 to the JBF Women’s Leadership Programs.
Join us as we work to make a meaningful donation to help create greater gender and racial equity for women entrepreneurs in the Food and Beverage industry!
Andrea Reusing
Chef and Owner at Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC
2011 James Beard Award Winner for Best Chef in The Southeast
Barbara Sibley
Chef and Owner at La Palapa, New York, NY
2022 Member of the Fall James Beard Foundation Women Entrepreneurial Program
Scott Crawford
Chef and Owner at Crawford Hospitality, Raleigh NC
2024 James Beard Foundation Finalist, Outstanding Hospitality, Crawford & Son
Preeti Waas
Chef and Owner at Cheeni, Durham, NC
2024 James Beard Award Nominee for Best Chef in The Southeast
See All Trailblazers
Andrea Reusing
Barbara Sibley
Scott Crawford
Preeti Waas
Conniption Gin: Leading The U.S. Gin Renaissance
Bringing gin into the modernity, Conniption gins were the first in the U.S. to introduce a cold distillation technique with rotary evaporators. By focusing on delicate botanicals whose flavors are destroyed by heat, the cold vacuum results in authentic, complex and fresh flavors. No extractions. Nothing artificial.
Melissa Katrincic: Owner, President, & CEO
Melissa Katrincic is the first (and so far, only) U.S. female distiller inducted into The Gin Guild. She is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and is a certified, with distinction, WSET II in Spirits.
Melissa is a frequent speaker, including her presentations and panels on gin, and is one of only a few female distillers in the U.S. who is a trained gin tastings judge.