DANNY KEEFE
FOUNDER AND CEO
A natural born entrepreneur, Danny Keefe developed a career in the lighting industry where he became a leading sales executive with the Phillips Corporation. Danny left Phillips to create his own lighting company which serviced premium restaurants throughout America. After his company was acquired, Danny’s Italian roots brought him to Cortona, where he began importing Tuscan wine into America. Employing his passion for European wine and expertise in large scale distribution, Danny developed a leading fine wine distributor in his home state of Colorado. This created the platform for Grapejuice Group to expand as a national importation company. Now with expertise in supplier and distribution management, pricing, sales and strategic planning, Danny leads the team at Grapejuice Group and has grown the company’s sales territory into 47 U.S. states.
MARK AND WENDY COHEN
PARTNERS
Mark and Wendy Cohen are life partners as well as business partners. Mark has been an entrepreneur and investor his whole life. Wendy taught high school for many years. She is also Marks partner and adviser in their business ventures. In 2008, they ventured into the retail wine world while living in Colorado. In a short time, they had one of the largest wine clubs in Colorado with over 3,000 members. The Cohen’s have also operated successful restaurants and bars. In 2019 they became partners and advisors to Grapejuice Group. They are deeply involved in sales, marketing and chain growth.
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In 2019 they moved to Newport Beach where they spend time with their children and grandchildren. They enjoy the beach and all things oceanside. Mark also enjoys golf where he beats Danny every single time they play.
MATT SMITH
VP OF SALES | NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR
SCOTT ROUGHGARDEN
VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN US
Scott is a seasoned vet in business development. He is a founding partner of Honey Bubbles wine which has attained national distribution in a very short time. In addition to having many years in the wine business, Scott is a serial entrepreneur. Scotts experience included launching a multi-million dollar sales and marketing campaign for Davidoff and managing a staff of over 150 promotional representatives nationally. He has worked with major brands such as Red Bull, and Heineken, where he launched and implemented the Heineken Beats Campaign.
EMILY STIX
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
After graduation from UW, Emily took a government job in Washington, D.C., where she also helped a Top Chef alumnus launch his restaurant. Taking her culinary experience to rural Scotland, Emily opened a food truck showcasing locally-grown, seasonal produce. While running a Single Malt and Ale bar in Edinburgh, Emily began pursuit of her formal wine education, which she refined as manager of Stockbridge, a fine-dining restaurant. She passed Wine Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 with distinction in 2016, and and comes to us from a wholesale distributor in Denver, Colorado.
TRICIA PETERSON
COMMUNICATION | CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Tricia's career began in graphic design and illustration. In 1996 she launched Blueraven Creative, an award-winning design studio, specializing in exhibit design, visual communication and commercial marketing strategies. Blueraven Creative works with quick precision to produce fresh concepts and design plans that are targeted, versatile, engaging and exciting to implement.
Tricia is inspired by family, nature, wildlife, and a glass of wine from any producer Grapejuice Group represents!
VALENTINA ALONSO
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE
Valentina is getting started in the business and is looking forward to gain experience in the field. As an Argentinian American, she loves the mix of cultures and is expanding her horizons by learning Italian. She also loves her pets and is a huge fan of the Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team. Lastly, Val is thrilled to be a part of the Grapejuice Group famiglia.