

Meet Our Team

President & Co-Founder
LEE NELSON
Lee was inspired by his love of fine spirits, all things local, and eclectic background to envision and create Florida's first multi-brand, micro-distillery. Lee is responsible for the development and production of all Florida CANE products, all federal, state, and local compliance. He supervises the Tasting Room Manager, Production Manager, Distilling Class Instructor, and Social Media Manager. Lee has over 20 years in Business Strategy and IT Program Management for a large global Financial and Investment company, 15 years in home brewing and distilling, and 7 years in commercial distilling. He is a certified Project Manager (PMP), earned his M.B.A. in 2007, and holds a B.S. in M.I.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Vice President & Co-Founder
PATRICK O'BRIEN
Pat has led the company's efforts to rapidly expand in both On-Premise and Off-Premise Accounts. Pat is responsible for setting the wholesale sales goal, managing the Field Marketing Manager, developing Key Accounts, growing the company's relationships with local business and industry groups, managing the relationship with Distributors, and organizing event-based promotional events. Pat is also the Sales Director for the Eastern United States for a large medical device sales company, overseeing a multi million-dollar territory across 17 states. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communication from SUNY Albany and a Golf business Management Degree from the Mundis Institute in 2003.
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Brand Marketing Manager
Sarah Jarvis
Sarah joined the Florida CANE Distillery team in 2021 and focuses on all things social media and marketing including community relations. She is a Tampa native with a Bachelors of Fine Art in photography. She has 6 years of branding and social media marketing experience. In her free time, she loves to explore local coffee shops and bars with her husband and dogs!

Tour Guide and Bartender
CJ Dempsey
CJ joined our team in the summer of 2021. She provides excellent Tours and Tastings and is known to serve our amazing cosmos on Wednesdays! She recently graduated from USF with a Bachelor's degree in Arts and Sciences.
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Bartender
Miles Nowicki
Joined the Florida CANE Team in 2021. Originally from the UK, he moved to the US to study at USF. He is always great to talk to while sipping on a craft cocktail at the bar!

Tour Guide and Bartender
Janai Sheerin
Joined the Florida CANE Team in 2022. Janai is a student at USF studying Cyber Security. She loves going to Disney and rollerblading. She would love to give you a tour next time you're in the tasting room!
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