Meet Chris Hopkins | Beverage Industry Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Hopkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always been someone who likes a challenge, to veer away from the traditional pathway and find my own career goals. When the pandemic hit, we all know how much it altered the landscape of the hospitality industry, and I could see that traditional ways of approaching the business were not going to be as useful or relevant.

I was also at a cross roads of sorts as I had been in the same role for almost 5 years and while I loved the work and my team, I was also wondering what my next challenge was going to be. I came to see that my motivations, personally and professionally, were about taking control over how I worked, who I worked with and projects that inspired me.

It became clear after talking to many close friends and mentors, that it was time to branch out on my own to build on the foundations I had created over my career to see where it would take me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Yikes, my career, haha!

Man, I wish I could say there had been a cohesive plan or a strategic pathway to get to where I am today, but the reality is there wasn’t.

I think I have always had a keen sense of opportunity and I have thrived in being in situations that were uncomfortable and made me expand my knowledge and skills. I feel into the industry as something to do back in Australia at a very young age, but was convinced to go traveling by a friend in the interest of seeing the world before “settling down”.

It was the first morning of the new millennium, and the world seemed like it was all open to explore so within a few short weeks I was on a plane towards London with the intention of spending 6 months back packing and having fun like any young adult should do. The only thing was, 6 months turned into 22 years (and counting) as I have now been gone since that day.

I was lucky to have started in the cocktail side of the business in the early 2000’s, very good days in the London cocktail scene as it was emerging into a true profession once more, having been neglected to an extent over a fee decades. The rise kept on going as I moved to America and continued to be surrounded by amazing people that inspired me to keep working and learning and always eager to find a new challenge. As a result of that mindset, I was able to work across every facet of the industry with numerous management roles mixed in. Bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos, menus clubs, cruise ships… you name it, I have been lucky enough to have worked in it.

I truly feel that its because of this extensive experience gained from a variety of operators, the good and even the bad, that has allowed me to flourish in almost any environment I have worked in. I can only hope that I continue to use those lessons to create long lasting, successful partnerships with my current and future collaborators and ensure I can live by my new mantra: “I want to do cool shit with good people, and good shit with cool people”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been very fortunate to have been impacted by a variety of mentors, inspirations and leaders across my career. At different stages as I travelled the world and experienced a many different challenges and perspectives, I was able to build a profile of myself that takes in a wide array of interests and skillsets.

Collectively, The Bacardi Trade Advocacy Team, who I worked with before starting my agency had the most profound effect on me. They all had such different personalities, championed some critical initiatives and challenged a lot of the stereotypes present in the corporate world. They did this while always striving to be the better each day with humor, camaraderie and genuine care for each other.

It truly empowered me to trust myself and feel confident in pursuing my own career advancement and I feel fortunate to have been part of La Gran Familia for so many years.