Member Shawn Jacobaccio Presentation at noon on May 18, 2023 on his Distillery journey
Tudor City Steakhouse
Shawn Jacobaccio, a Rotary member since 2016, is the founder of the John Fitch Distilling Company. Born in Montreal, Shawn immigrated to the U.S. in 2009 where he attended Fordham University. He has since lived in NYC, Westchester County and Connecticut. He became a U.S. citizen in 2017 and has a four year old daughter, Abigail. He now commutes between Brooklyn, NY and South Windsor, CT. A serial entrepreneur, Shawn travels the world in search of innovative ways to create unique products with new flavors. He has a passion for languages, anthropology and farming. John Fitch Distilling specializes in traditional New England small batch artisanal spirits. “It’s Connecticut’s first ground up built distillery since the repeal of prohibition in 1933”. At The Flying Canoe, the distillery’s tasting “shed”, customers are served traditional cocktails, with a modern twist. Shawn’s mission is to serve products that are farm to plate and grain to glass. He also likes to “talk dirty”. All kidding aside, Shawn is deeply committed to soil issues and how they relate to food security and production. “The distillery is located along the Connecticut river, which is a source of connection to my native land. It was only during the construction of the buildings that I noticed the importance of the rivers and bodies of water in my life, of the influence they carry and how they impact soil quality.”