April Wachtel is a commercial executive, founder, and 25+ year veteran of the beverage and hospitality industry, as well as the Founder/CEO of Cheeky Cocktails. Her experience spans business development, strategic partnerships, commercialization, manufacturing, national retail and hospitality, fundraising, strategy, team building, and operating infrastructure.
Over the past decade-plus, April has built and evolved multiple beverage concepts, including Swig + Swallow and, since 2020, Cheeky Cocktails in its current form. Cheeky is now sold in 1,300+ retail and hospitality accounts across 44 states + DC, and April has led nearly every aspect of the business, from product development and manufacturing to sales, partnerships, fundraising, and growth strategy.
Prior to and alongside her entrepreneurial work, April held a wide range of roles across the beverage industry, including brand ambassador for Bacardi and consulting for Diageo. She has built and managed cross-functional teams, developed national trade and hospitality programs, worked with distributors and key accounts, and cultivated relationships across founders, suppliers, retailers, investors, and operators throughout the industry.
April is particularly strong in fast-moving, ambiguous environments: identifying the real problem quickly, setting strategy, assembling and developing the right people, aligning complex stakeholders, building the infrastructure to execute, and driving measurable results.
She is also the host of the Movers & Shakers podcast and has taught more than 12,000 students through institutions including Astor Center and ICE. Her work and companies have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Forbes, Inc., New York Magazine, The Today Show, Food Network, and other national outlets.
You may have seen April's work mentioned or featured in: (for a list with links, please click here)
NY Mag (Vulture), Forbes, Martha Stewart.com, Fast Company, Refinery29, Heritage Radio Network, Serious Eats, Men's Health, Men’s Journal, The Washington Post, Thrillist, Whisky Advocate, Supercall, Zagat.com, Cosmo Radio (Siriusxm), Redbook Magazine, Maxim.com, Chilled Magazine, COED, StupidDope, Examiner.com, The Daily Meal, NY Press, The Houston Chronicle, Eat This Drink That Go!, Liquor.com, Craveonline.com, The Speakeasy, Sharp & Hot, The Main Course, Celebuzz'd, Greatist.com, Mamas Latinas, The Massachusetts Beverage Business Journal, Boston.com, Grubstreet, The Improper Bostonian, and Stuff Magazine.