About Our Team

Frances is the Founder and President of Vegan Wines, a completely vegan-friendly wine club, and Despacito Distributors, a plant-based wine distribution company.

Frances has acquired nuanced expertise and made many connections in the wine industry through her work building these two companies. Her background, however, delves deeper than entrepreneurship. She is also an active member of Women of the Vine & Spirits, an organization that fosters a supportive environment for females in the alcoholic beverage industry. Frances also has extensive experience in the vegan and plant-based market. She has sponsored conferences like the Plant-Based World Expo and founded VegFest Puerto Rico, a nonprofit established in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

Deanna’s experience in the wine industry started in 2005 on the retail level working in wine stores and wine bars from San Diego to New York. She then “graduated” to sales in wine & spirits and learned the ins and outs of the challenging and fulfilling job. After taking advanced wine classes at the International Wine Center, she discovered a love for the operations side of the business.

She has worked with Vegan Wines/Despacito Distributors as the Compliance and Business Advisor since 2018 and loves being a part of this amazing movement in the industry.

Anne is a virtual business administrative and operations assistant. She is responsible for email management, research and data entry, sales as well as scheduling and calendar management. She has successfully executed her services to business owners and ensured a smooth running of day to day activities in companies she has worked for. She is a Toastmaster and enjoys working with Vegan Wines.

With over 20+ years in the Wine Industry, Rick brings Executive level insights and relationships. Rick has worked on all sides of the Wine Business; (Winery/Distributor/Broker/Importer/ Consulting and is experienced selling wines across all account channels (Independents/Chains/Resorts/Clubs/On-sale/Off-sale).

Rick has built, launched and scaled over 20 brands in the USA with an aggregate gross sales of over 84MM. Rick also ran export divisions for 4 global brands, shipping to 14 countries on 3 continents. Over the years Rick has enjoyed working with Qupe, Au Bon Climat, Torbreck, Dry Creek Vineyard, La Follette, Quivira, Quigley Fine Wine, Alma Rosa, Jeff Welburn Selections and Trinitas.

Prior to the Wine Business, Rick enjoyed a successful career in the Music Business in which he held several VP Sales/Marketing roles for BMG, Universal, Sony, Warner & Virgin (working for Richard Branson). Rick revels in helping build the careers of Nirvana, Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Dave Stewart, White Stripes, Ziggy Marley and AC/DC.

In addition to his never ending wine study (and admittance of being a full-fledged grape/terroir nerd), Rick enjoys cooking, health & wellness and playing guitar in his band Mojo Riesling. Lastly, Rick’s greatest joy is spending time with his 11 year old daughter as they continue to promote their Amazon best-selling children’s book they co-authored called The Hug Store.

Born and raised in Naples, Italy, Ferdinando Mucerino is a CMS Certified Sommelier. As a child he remembers helping his grandfather make Aglianico for friends and family – a wine he loves dearly to this day.

Ferdinando learned about wine from some of the best in the business. In 2012, he began working at A16 in San Francisco, and their wine program won the James Beard award for best wine program in the country. He then moved to Los Angeles to work for Michelin star restaurant Rustic Canyon and became their Wine Director. His goal: to have one of the most unique and talked about wine lists that would rival the best in the industry. Wine Enthusiast took notice and included Rustic Canyon in their “Top 100 Wine Bars in America” issue in 2016, and again for three consecutive years. Ferdinando was nominated “Best Wine Director of the Year” in 2019, an award that recognizes only the top five US professionals in the industry.

Ferdinando consults with various restaurants, cafes, and private clients while organizing corporate events for some of the world’s best-known companies. He has masterminded sold-out dinners with exclusive winemakers, capturing headlines like “These are the Coolest Food Events in Los Angeles” by Eater. Ferdinando has attracted a vast amount of media from Eater LA, Wine Enthusiast, LA Times, The LA Taco, TheInfatuation.com, and more.

Other than sharing his knowledge and passion for wine, Ferdinando enjoys soccer, hiking with his rescue dogs, Vinny and Franky, and collecting old and rare wines. His personal collection includes wines from the 1800s to current releases

Raven (Certified Sommelier, CMS/Advanced Certificate, WSET) has worked for over 15 years in many facets of the wine world, from retail/wholesale to somming on floors of some of NYC’s greatest restaurants. She has also, at times, focused on wine writing and education. All considered, she prefers to spend her time helping people connect to the joy of wine and food with an emphasis on celebration and growth.

According to Alessandro, “I do not like to define myself because I am basically like wine, constantly evolving! I’m a sommelier, but I’m not a professional wine expert… I am simply a wine and good food lover, always curious to discover new products. I enjoy listening to winemakers’ stories in their cellars. I also love to talk and write about wine, its nuances, and the emotions it creates.” Throughout his career, Alessandro had hotel training, acquired a degree in economics, and then became an accountant. Based in Italy, he is a sommelier for Vegan Wines.

Vegan since 2016 and animal caretaker since childhood, Stacie loves to craft easy vegan dishes that are fast & fun to make such as .. "Shirataki Avocado Crunch," and "Oyster Bok Dill." Stacie has created and organized fun NYC vegan wellness events such as 'Black Friday Breakaway,' 'Mini Wellness Retreat/Vegan Potluck,' & Vegan Food Fest Fundraiser (VFFF) 1 & 2. She has also worked as a tour guide at Catskill Animal Sanctuary, volunteered with: animal care, as vegan mentor & alongside Vegan Culinary 'Chef Sara' as Culinary Intern at CAS.

Stacie's love of fine wines dates back to 2001, where she worked in the food industry with high sales in various domestic and international wines. While living intentionally, she is super excited about celebrating life more (with vegan wines), pairing them with her unique vegan dishes, helping to veganize the $418 billion dollar wine industry & getting the word out on these very tasty animal friendly Vegan Wines!

Rebecca Carucci is a plant-based chef and food consultant. She is the owner of Powered by Plants Consulting and works with clients who come to her for services like cooking lessons, recipe development, and meal planning. She is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition and gives presentations about the benefits of plant-based diets for personal health, the environment, and animal advocacy. Rebecca is passionate about showing the “foodie” side of veganism and her specialty is veganizing classic recipes with an emphasis on nutrition.