User:JamieF/Vanessa Braxton

Vanessa Braxton is the first female African American Master Distiller and Master Blender in the United States and the first African American woman to own a nationally distributed vodka. Braxton is the founder of Black Momma Vodka and owner of Gravesande Braxton Distillers. She is the only Black woman in the country to fully own her own 15-acre farm grow house, manufacturing facility, and distillery.

Early life and education
Braxton was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter Guyanese immigrants. She attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and graduated with her degree in construction management and engineering in 1992. She completed a Negotiation for Executives program at Harvard Business School, Consortium with MIT.

Civil engineering
Braxton was a civil engineer in New York for twenty years during which she oversaw multi-million dollar projects and served as Vice President of Business Development for COMTO, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

Distilling
Braxton and her family moved to Santa Clarita, California in 2009. Around this time, she decided to start a liquor company. A friend in Oregon invited her to use his equipment. She was granted a license in 2012 and officially launched Black Momma Vodka.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Braxton pivoted to making hand sanitizer for hospitals and the Department of Homeland Security.