Jomaree Pinkard, recently appointed CEO and Managing Director of Pronghorn, traces the roots of his passion for the spirits industry and its remarkable potential to unite people back to his childhood days, when sharing meals at the kitchen table meant everything.
“My family’s love language is food and beverage,” he said. “It’s how we grew up breaking bread over the table, everyone was included at the table. If you didn’t have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you came to the Pinkard household and got a good meal. But you also got conversation, breaking bread over juice and soda, and some good french toast. But also sharing your own story and being able to have a voice was what was happening at home. And I think that’s carried me from there to now.”
Appointed to Pronghorn leadership in 2023, Pinkard now applies what he’s learned about the value of sharing to his guidance of the company’s central mission: fostering growth in Black-owned spirits brands and effectively diversifying the spirits industry.
Black Americans make up 12 percent of all drinkers, but only 2 percent work at the executive level in the spirits industry, according to Pronghorn.
“We as consumers, as Black Americans…are not represented as entrepreneurs in the same way,” said Pinkard. “So Pronghorn was set up as a template to diversify any industry, starting with Black Americans in the spirits industry. Myself and the founders have seen it up close and personal.”
“We’re here to build that pipeline, nurturing that acceleration so there is some reconciliation in the space,” he noted. “We know that when you include other voices, when you include perspective, when you include diversity, you actually build a bigger table.”
Pinkard administers Pronghorn’s capital investments into Black-owned spirits brands, contributing to the growth of their businesses. He also runs the company’s supercharging efforts, which supply invested brands with the necessary resources to accelerate their growth.
Founded in 2022, Pronghorn aims to invest in 57 brands, fill 1,800 spirits industry roles from the Black community, and produce $2.4 billion dollars in value by 2032. The company also offers internship and mentorship programs built to diversify the spirits industry.
Beyond spending time at his family’s kitchen table, Pinkard officially took a liking for spirits when he started making cocktail bitters, “a flavorful infusion of spices, fruit, and bitter root,” as a hobby.
“It’s one of the quintessential ingredients in any cocktail,” he noted. “So when I grew up and started thinking about cocktails and what to drink, a lot of people would have a rum and coke or what have you, but as I got older, I started to want to have…the elevated version of that.”
“A proper cocktail has four ingredients: sugar, ice, the spirit, and bitter,” he added. “So me and my buddies, as a hobby, started making bitters. Back in the days, that was our foray into the cocktail world. At the same time, the speakeasies were beginning to come back onto the scene and people really were caring about their cocktail experience. My journey began at that same time frame.”
Together, Pinkard, Eddie Simeon and Tobin Ludwig founded Hella Cocktail Co., a minority-owned craft beverage company. Pinkard orchestrated the company’s brand partnerships with TGI Fridays, Southern Glazers’ Wine & Spirits, Disney, Delta Airlines, and more.
“Through that journey, the brand became something, but our voices became even more important,” he said. “And our ability to create spaces for everyone to show up as themselves through cocktails is kinda what ‘Hella’ stood for in Hella Cocktail Co. Now it allows me to walk in the identity of Pronghorn very authentically because we’re saying the same thing, which is ‘own your voice, share, create access points for other individuals who are trying to build their own brands’.”
Pronghorn has invested in a range of brands, some of which include Abisola Whiskey, Ego Tequila and New England Sweetwater.
In their inaugural year, the company made $10 million in total investments, produced 19 closed deals, hired nine student interns, helped place more than 50 spirits employment opportunities and spent more than 150 hours mentoring black spirits professionals.
“It’s amazing,” said Pinkard. “To watch something go from what you call pre-commercialization into reality, from an idea into fruition, and then to have one year of impact is incredible. It’s mind boggling that the team has been able to not only be built, but also execute on an idea that fast.”
“To be part of this idea that we’ve impacted over 50 individuals into the space to have jobs…that was quick,” he added. “I gotta shout out the team here at Pronghorn because they’ve been asked to do what feels impossible: reconcile an industry at speed and accelerate brands we invest in and bring awareness to the space in a way that feels authentic and feels like you wanna come this way, you wanna be part of the spirits industry.”
Pinkard has an essential piece of advice for those interested in entrepreneurship and the spirits industry: “always ask for help.”
“I think a lot of entrepreneurs think their idea is so unique that if they tell everyone, it’s gonna get stolen,” he said. “That’s not gonna happen. What you wanna be doing is almost like pitching your ideas to your friends and family and people that you know. Like, ‘what do you think about that? Did that resonate? What was wrong with it?’ You wanna be able to get that real-time feedback as soon as possible and never stop pitching your business…the idea of sharing your idea before you commercialize it is so important.”
If you’re passionate about spirits, check out Pronghorn.co, where you can find the company’s Black spirits portfolio. If you’re interested in joining the spirits industry, you can explore Pronghorn’s live job postings on their website. Those interested in preparing for the spirits industry should be on the lookout for a Pronghorn certification program coming soon.
“Our ability here is to plug you into the industry itself and make sure you’re well equipped,” said Pinkard.
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