Summit Brewing today announced it has hired former J.J. Taylor Minnesota president Mike Bamonti as its new chief sales officer.
Prior to joining Summit, Bamonti served as J.J. Taylor’s general manager for 12 years and helped oversee that company’s acquisitions of Day Distributing Co. in 2015 and Chisago Lakes Distributing in 2012.
A 30-year beer industry veteran, Bamonti also previously worked as the vice president of sales for J.J. Taylor Minnesota and has served on the board of both the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
“Summit Brewing Company has a proven track record of brewing the highest quality beers that I’ve had the privilege of selling for the last 19 years,” Bamonti said via a press release. “I’m looking forward to being a part of this organization on a deeper level.”
Prior to Bamonti, Summit Brewing’s sales efforts were led by Jeffrey Spaeth, the company’s second employee. Spaeth joined the organization in 1986 and later assumed the role of vice president of sales in 2015. He departed Summit in March and is currently working as a strategy consultant for nearby Surly Brewing Company.
Founded in 1986, Summit Brewing products are currently sold in 14 states, including Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Arkansas and Wisconsin.
Although it is ranked as the 29th largest craft brewing company in the U.S., Summit production volumes actually dipped 3 percent in 2015 — the brewery made 128,770 barrels of beer, down from 132,870 barrels in 2014.