Mixing it up, Premium drinks entrepreneur Dee Charlemagne on blending diversity, sustainability and health to change not just what people mix in their drinks, but also stand for the people who want to change what-and-who they mix with.
This week’s Power Done Differently guest is on a mission to get people drinking better, and talking more. Former ad executive, turned entrepreneur, Dee Charlemagne is Co-Founder of AVEC Drinks, a line of premium, better for you mixers that bring 21st century values to a market still mostly stuck in the past. A first generation American, born and raised in the Bronx, Dee delves into the importance of intersectional identity as a black female founder, how she awkwardly fits between two very different worlds, and the privilege that is for entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams while still paying the rent each month. Dee and I also discuss how AVEC is bringing people together during the pandemic and the shocking statistic that only 40 black female founders have ever raised more than $1 million in Venture Capital funding in the US. With AVEC having already created a buzz on the drinks scene since its launch last year, being named a product to watch by the New York Times’ drinks critic Florence Fabricant, my money would be on adding Dee to that list quite soon. So pour yourself a stiff one and sit back and enjoy this week’s Power Done Differently episode.