John Jeffery
Bently Heritage Estate Distillery
Minden, NV USA
"Mistakes aren’t things that went wrong—they’re just things that happen and you grow from them."
Career Roadmap
John's work combines: Food, Science, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
A lot of people think that mistakes are these horrible things and you should avoid them. I believe that mistakes aren't things that went wrong—they're just things that happen and you grow from them. I didn't end up as head distiller because I planned it out and worked towards it. I got here because I made a lot of mistakes, which allowed me to try a lot of things, learn, and grow. Life is boring without risk. Anything worth having is worth leaving safety for.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Exercise Science and Kinesiology
University of Illinois
Graduate Degree
Food Chemistry
Michigan State University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I grew up in Chicago and lived there for the first 25 years of my life before moving away with my family—we’ve moved about 12 times since then!
2.
I got my undergraduate degree in kinesiology with a focus in exercise physiology from the University of Illinois.
3.
I worked in personal training and real estate for a while, but was considering moving on due to the instability surrounding the clients and income.
4.
After moving out of Chicago because of the economy, I developed an interest in food chemistry and found a professor who was working on agricultural economic development in Michigan.
5.
That professor was ignoring my emails because his program was at a standstill, so I showed up at his office and convinced him to let me participate and develop the program with him.
6.
After graduating from the food chemistry program, I was doing a lot of product research and development consulting work.
7.
One of the companies I had previously consulted for recommended me for this Bently Heritage Estate Distillery startup project in Nevada, so I took the opportunity.
8.
The Bently Heritage Estate Distillery started operating in early 2018 and I currently work as the head distiller.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
That's a big risk. It's not okay to make mistakes.
How I responded:
A lot of people think that mistakes are these horrible things and you should avoid them. I believe that mistakes aren't things that went wrong—they're just things that happen and you grow from them. I didn't end up as head distiller because I planned it out and worked towards it. I got here because I made a lot of mistakes, which allowed me to try a lot of things, learn, and grow. Life is boring without risk. Anything worth having is worth leaving safety for.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was working in real estate in Chicago when the housing market collapsed. At the same time, I was tired of living in such a huge city with my young kids. So, my family and I moved and I pursued a career change.
I had to leave my family behind in Chicago for 6 months while I figured out graduate school in Michigan. We've also had to move around a lot because of the nature of my job. It gets hard but I'm now at a job where I can remain in place for a while.