Big Nose Kate® – Our Team – Big Nose Kate®

Melissa Heim

COFOUNDER & CEO

A highly regarded and award-winning spirits and beverage maker, Mel is one of the first ever female head distillers and blenders west of the Mississippi, as well as one of the youngest. Her years of product innovation, industry expertise, and operational acumen make her a cornerstone of the Big Nose Kate® enterprise. Just like Kate, Mel can do it all.

Kevin Burke

COFOUNDER & HEAD OF BUSINESS

Kevin is a beverages industry veteran with deep managerial and sales experience at both high-growth new companies and in established corporations alike. A mission-driven entrepreneur, he is committed to building Big Nose Kate into a great enterprise worthy of its namesake.

Paul Earle

COFOUNDER & HEAD OF BRAND

Paul is an entrepreneur, writer, innovation professor and branding aficionado who obsesses about names, designs, and stories. Big Nose Kate brings all three in spades (oh yes, spades are everywhere in our brand world). Paul’s goal: help develop Kate into a famous brand… again.

Melissa McCarthy

INVESTOR

An acclaimed actress, writer, and producer, Melissa McCarthy is happy to collaborate with the “other” Melissa (Heim) as an investor and partner in Big Nose Kate. A big believer in both social mission and the benefits of responsibly bringing people together through spirits, Melissa M. is our “Chief Whiskey Drinker.”

Ben Falcone

INVESTOR

An acclaimed actor, writer, and producer, Ben Falcone is excited to contribute fresh thinking and energy as an investor and partner in Big Nose Kate. A big believer in the power of storytelling as a way to engage with people, Ben reports to Melissa M. as our “Regional Deputy Assistant Whiskey Drinker.”

Caley Shoemaker

PARTNER

Like Mel, Caley is a highly regarded spirits maker and one of the first of her kind in the West. Put simply, she knows great liquid… and also knows a great idea when she sees it. Caley is based in Santa Fe, not far from the site of Kate’s notorious old “Dance Hall.”

Niki Green

PARTNER

When Niki talks, whiskey fans listen. A widely-followed influencer known as the “Bourbon Maven” and a key player in the “Women Who Whiskey” movement, Niki brings a boundless passion for whiskey, cocktail making, and storytelling to the enterprise.