Jessica Schacht is an artist and entrepreneur based on Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley. As a co-founder of Ampersand Distilling Company she manages sales and communications and has helped develop the award winning recipes that make Ampersand one of the top craft distilleries in British Columbia. Jessica has found many ways to combine her passion for art & entrepreneurship. In 2017 she started a cocktail column for the Cowichan Valley Voice called “History Glass” exploring the origins of classic cocktails. Jessica is also a public speaker on transferrable skills and entrepreneurship and has spoken at the University of Victoria, Pacific Opera Victoria’s Artist Development Program, and the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Summit.
Ampersand Distilling Co. is owned and operated by the Schacht family, whose five-acre organic farm and craft distillery is situated in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia. The company was born out of Jeremy and Jessica Schacht’s love for craft cocktails and sparked to life when Jeremy and his father Stephen – both trained engineers – combined their knowledge of science and traditional distilling techniques to produce hand-crafted spirits with exceptional flavours. Together with Jeremy’s mother Ramona Froehle-Schacht – an avid organic farmer – the family fuse their individual passions into a thriving business whose high-quality organic spirits have become staples in the industry and home bars across North America.
Ampersand’s name pays homage to the grammatical logogram that forges connections across vast concepts. The subtle symbol signifies a powerful collaboration between the Schacht family, each of whom lends their personal passion and skills to the business. Ampersand brings together science and art, representing the craft of distilling spirits; technology and tradition, uniting innovative methods and old-world distilling styles; ingredients and techniques, allowing pure wild-harvested botanicals and B.C.-grown wheat to shine; and family and friends, who can share the simple joy of sipping a well-made spirit.
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