LAIE Vermouth Adds Industry Veteran Summer-Jane Bell as Sales Lead
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23-year industry veteran will oversee the US and Asia Pacific
LOS ANGELES, CA (JULY 20, 2026) - LAIE, the boutique vermouth brand bringing Spain’s La Hora del Vermut to the US, announces today that industry veteran Summer-Jane Bell has joined the company as Sales Leader, US and Asia Pacific, effective immediately.
In her new role, Bell works with distributor partners and the on-premise trade to direct LAIE’s growth from its California and Oregon bases into national distribution and international markets including Hong Kong, Macau, and Australia.
Over her 23-year career, she has held positions in all three tiers of the hospitality industry, from spirits distribution and brand ambassadorship to bar ownership. Most recently, she served as Northern California Sales Manager at JVS Imports, where she led a sales team across a portfolio of more than 1,000 spirits and wine. Prior to JVS, she represented House of Angostura, Suerte Tequila, pür spirits, and Tequila Revolución as a brand ambassador. The cocktail program she developed at Hello Stranger Bar in Oakland, CA, made the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards “Regional Top 10” Best High Volume Cocktail Bar list in 2020.
Her commitment to the advancement of the industry includes volunteer roles as a leader in the US Bartenders’ Guild (USBG), including positions as National Board member, San Francisco chapter president, and International Bartenders Association Liaison Committee Chair (2018–2024). She also served as an educator at Tales of the Cocktail and Bar Convent Brooklyn and continues to serve annually as a judge at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Said LAIE Co-founder Raj Nallapothola, “To have someone with Summer-Jane’s experience, expertise, and reputation within the industry is a massive step for LAIE as we continue to introduce the concept of La Hora del Vermut to the US one market at a time. Her passion for the category is infectious and will no doubt help accelerate brand growth.”
Said Bell, “My lifestyle and the market as a whole is shifting into ‘low and no’ ABV beverages, making vermouth one of the most exciting categories in the US right now. LAIE captures a true sense of place and is right on time. I'm looking forward to sharing the tradition of La Hora del Vermut with consumers and the trade across the world.”
What is LAIE: Founded by Barcelona-based Alex Cardona and California community organizer & restaurateur Raj Nallapothola, LAIE (pronounced: “LA - Yeah!”) aims to bring Spain’s vermouth culture to the United States. The liquid is carefully crafted by one of Spain’s oldest vermouth producers using 20 aromatic herbs and spices. The name ‘LAIE’ is a tribute to the Laietani people, the ancient pre-Roman settlers of the Iberian Peninsula.
LAIE is currently available at retail and on-premise accounts in California and Oregon and can be shipped nationwide through merchants such as K&L Wines.
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