Sion Farm Distillery

Award-winning chef Todd Manley has a passion for the finest, most authentic ingredients. The chef-owner of popular Christiansted restaurants such as Toast, 40 Strand and others believes success begins with ingredients. So when looking for a way to give back to his adopted home of St. Croix, he looked for an ingredient. And he found breadfruit, an ingredient true to the island and with a rich heritage behind it, and began his fascination with its richness, history and versatility.

The story of breadfruit begins in Tahiti and travels across the Caribbean, and of course includes a chapter on the most famous mutiny tale ever told. Brought to the Caribbean, it was key to feeding the populations of St. Croix and all the Caribbean.

Manley found a dynamic, like-minded partner in award-winning master distiller Chris Richeson. Together they labored to achieve, for the first time ever, a perfect distillation using the precious ingredients of breadfruit and water. And so in 2017 they created a luxury island vodka that honors the rich history of the island that gave birth to it. Conceived on the island of St. Croix and perfected in the year of the hurricanes, MUTINY Island Vodka unleashes an unforgettable taste that is distinctive and clear and clean, a true island vodka with a luxurious smoothness that takes you to the trade winds and blue waters of its island home.

This project will provide value-added agricultural products for St. Croix, and assist in the relief of the hurricane-devastated population. Additionally, it will raise the public consciousness of breadfruit, which is seen by some as a way to ease world hunger. A study by the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Breadfruit Institute promotes it as a superfood from a high- and long-yielding tree that has many culinary uses.

Mutiny Island Vodka supports this use of breadfruit to ease world hunger and fortify food security. We will do this by donating portions of our proceeds to groups such as The Breadfruit Institute and Trees That Feed Foundation, who use forestation of breadfruit and education on its uses in needing regions of the worlds. Please visit these fantastic organizations’ sites to learn more and how you can help.

Todd Manley, Chef, Founder, Visionary

Whether exploring local and indigenous foodways, envisioning the future of new and historic ingredients or investing in the future of his adopted home, award-winning Chef Todd Manley brings passion and authenticity to everything he does. The creative visionary behind the brand, Todd is originally from Virginia, where he was chef/owner of multiple restaurants, and is now Executive Chef and Partner of four diverse restaurants on St. Croix. The idea for MUTINY Island Vodka came from his vision of creating a distilled spirit utilizing local ingredients that represent the richness of the island. Breadfruit, found on St. Croix and throughout the Caribbean and Pacific islands, is the basis for the vodka and a testament to Todd’s commitment to using the finest, most authentic ingredients. Todd hopes to use breadfruit as a basis for other industries on the island.

Art Wollenweber, Master Distiller

A bit of an artistic soul with a love of nature, Art used his talents as a chemical engineer for more than 25 years at DuPont before switching to rum production, which brought him to St. Croix 11 years ago. He later made the switch to producing vodka with MUTINY Island Vodka, where he’s perfected his craft and found his calling at Sion Farm Distillery. When he’s not distilling vodka, he’s involved in his community, supporting the use of breadfruit to ease world hunger and fortify food security.

Jeff Sanford, Master Mixologist

What was initially planned as a six-month stay on the island of St. Croix for Jeff Sanford turned into five years and ultimately led him to the world’s first and finest vodka made from breadfruit, MUTINY Island Vodka. Jeff's passion for the culture, food and local agriculture of the island inspires him to create his signature cocktails from unique local ingredients and flavor pairings. As the Master Mixologist for MUTINY Island Vodka, Jeff builds on his 13 years in the restaurant business to deliver the lush Island flavor and excite the palate of customers worldwide. Jeff is excited to be part of the MUTINY Island Vodka team as they support the growth and people of their island home.

Bret Van Delden, Chief Operating Officer

A fourth-generation Texas native, Bret fell in love with the island of St. Croix and decided to make it his home in 2016 when he retired. He has since come out of retirement and is using his leadership skills and experience as a former top-ranking U.S. Army Reserve Commander and Vice President and General Manager in a NASDAQ Silicon Valley high-tech company to help lead Sion Farm Distillery. Bret hopes to give back to his newfound community through job creation and economic development.

Shawn M. Henderson, Director of Office Operations & Human Resources/Executive Assistant

A world traveler and Air Force veteran, Shawn Henderson brings more than 18 years of experience as a human resource professional to the MUTINY Island Vodka brand. He has worked in a variety of industries including education, law and hospitality. Shawn’s life in St. Croix began five years ago after making the move from Washington, D.C. Shawn brings to the Sion Farm Distillery team his love of the island and his commitment to celebrating the diversity that is St. Croix.

Chris Richeson, Distiller and CEO, Chesapeake Bay Distillery

The CEO, owner and operator of Chesapeake Bay Distillery located in Virginia Beach, VA, Chris has more than 15 years of distilling experience and is the gold-medal-winning distiller behind the MUTINY Island Vodka original recipe. Chris’s mission has always been to produce the cleanest spirits possible. His attention and commitment to quality have led to three double gold medals and happy patrons around the world.