SINGAPORE, 30 JULY 2018 Building on its strategic investment in Neat Spirits Australia in 2017, Proof & Company, Asia Pacific’s leading independent spirits company, has now further expanded the teams there, nearly doubling headcount since the start of 2018. In September 2018, Neat Spirits Australia will also complete its integration into Proof & Company and will operate under a unified banner as Proof & Company Australia.
As part of this new chapter, Dan Walker, founder of Neat Spirits, has taken on a widened role of General Manager for Australia. In May this year, Paul Broadbent joined the group in a Melbourne-based Creative Director, Retail role, overseeing off-trade in Australia and travel retail across Asia Pacific. Paul joined from Bacardi Martini Australia, where he spent the past 13 years working in a multitude of management roles.
“Premium and craft is front and center globally right now, and this is evident in Australia, and quickly taking root in Asia,” says Paul Broadbent. “This means the exciting growth of new brands for consumers to discover and enjoy.”
This month also sees Charlie Ainsbury join Proof & Company’s acclaimed creative team as a Sydney-based Spirits Evangelist. In this role, he will provide bar concept and beverage development, training and education to clients and act as a brand ambassador for Proof & Company’s portfolio of independent spirit brands. After getting his start at Sydney institution Bayswater Brasserie, he most recently co-created and co-owned This Must Be the Place, a finalist for World’s Best International Cocktail Bar in 2016.
Once the integration of Neat Spirits is complete, Jason Williams, Proof & Company’s Creative Director, will work closely with Charlie and begin splitting his time between Asia and Australia in a homecoming of sorts. Another of Australia’s most respected bartenders, Jason has overseen bar projects and client services for Proof & Company across Asia Pacific over the past four years, including the world-renowned ATLAS Bar in Singapore and Charles H. in Seoul.
Dan Walker notes, “We are excited to be welcoming both Paul and Charlie to the Neat x Proof family and are equally excited about formally joining the Proof & Company platform. We look forward to integrating the complete Proof & Company model into our Australia operations and to support our clients in ways not seen before in this part of the world.”
“By completing our acquisition of Neat Spirits, we can further invest in the strong team, brand portfolio and customer service that Dan Walker and the Neat Spirits team have become known for,” said Proof & Company CEO, Paul Gabie. “This integration means some exciting things will be announced in the months ahead. The goal is always the same: to continually find better ways to serve our clients, brand partners, and the broader industry in this second golden age of drinking.”
Proof & Company and Neat Spirits were both founded in 2012, and both focus on the importation, distribution and marketing of independent spirits brands. Among numerous other brands, the two companies share distribution of Maison Ferrand’s Citadelle Gin, Plantation Rums, and Pierre Ferrand Cognacs, as well as Mancino Vermouth and Los Danzantes Mezcal. The companies’ collaboration will offer select spirit brands a single distribution platform spanning the Asia Pacific region. Together the two companies currently offer distribution in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia.