Our Team
Chris Barbin
Co-Founder, Chairman & CTO (Chief Tequila Officer) | Chicago
Chris Barbin fell in love with tequila over a decade ago. After visiting dozens of craft distilleries, sipping hundreds of brands and eventually discovering the products from #1477, he believed there was a better way to educate consumers while helping quality boutique distillers enter the US Market - creating the Sip Platform to do just that.
Keith Antoon
Co-Founder & COO | South Florida
Keith is a serial entrepreneur with 20 years of experience owning and operating a wide variety of businesses in South Florida. Now developing, sourcing and importing super-premium Tequilas while overseeing day to day global operations for Sip Tequila
Lori Csaszar
Co-Founder, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Giving | Chicago
Lori’s love of Tequila is second to her love of doing good things for others. As the point person for our extensive investor network, Lori helps spread the SipTequila message through charitable events, corporate gifts, and more. She also manages the broader charitable efforts of SipTequila, as we make quarterly donations to organizations that help support access to food and water, education, and human rights.
Carolyn Kissick
VP, Product & Partnerships | Guadalajara, MX
Carolyn brings over a decade of tequila expertise to the team. She sits on the panels of several high-level spirits competitions, leads educational trips throughout the Tequila regions of Mexico, and fills her cup by helping inform and inspire others to fall in love with agave spirits.
Juan Pablo Diz
Mexico Operations | Guadalajara, MX
JP heads up daily operations in Mexico. From sourcing new items, developing procurement solutions, and getting tequila into the hands of people who are looking for it- he is the heart of the business from the place where it all begins.
Payton Savikas
Corporate Gifting & Inside Sales Manager | South Florida
Payton leads our corporate gifting and inside sales team building relationships and providing expertise in custom gift selection to enhance clients' brand and performance all while changing consumer expectations on what white glove service should be.
Mercedes Mark
Operations Manager | South Florida
Mercedes is the one who gets it done! Whether managing the warehouse, scheduling pick-ups and deliveries, or ensuring that orders all go out on time and in full, when you receive a package from SipTequila, Mercedes has a role in getting it there. In her free time, she also helps run the tasting room events, bringing Tequila smiles to all of our in-person guests.
Hannah Irwin
Customer Service Manager | South Florida
Hannah leads our customer service department while also working closely with our fulfillment team to ensure that each and every one of our customers have the best shopping, shipping and sipping experience possible. Hannah also supports our in-person events and retail shop in South Florida.
Kayla Capen
Marketing and Event Specialist | South Florida
Kayla drives our social media calendars and real time social media responses; if you are messaging with Sip, there is a good chance it is Kayla writing back. When she’s not promoting Sip in the virtual world, she is building Sip in the real world, tackling our Florida based-events, product shoots, and more.
Jorge Arana
Creative Director | Chicago
Jorge Arana ensures that all we are and all we do is as beautiful as Tequila itself. From cinematography for our brand videos, to social aesthetic and site design- he ensures that we reflect the terroir and the people in a way that captures the essence of what tequila is all about.
Kyle Roche
Board of Directors, Advisor, and Investor | Seattle, WA
Kyle Roche is a startup veteran based in Seattle, WA. Kyle was the founder and CEO of 2lemetry, which was acquired by Amazon in 2015. He is currently an Executive at Amazon Web Services (AWS).
