about us

Helping create amazing experiences

frankie

Who are we

We're the drinks experiences experts

Frankie founded Black Pineapple in 2016 after spending over 25 years in the drinks industry in the UK & NZ. From bartending & running top UK bars through to Sales, Marketing, Brand Activation, Education, and Advocacy.  Frankie fundamentally believes that life’s too short to drink shit drinks – and Black Pineapple is here to help!

Favourite cocktail: Spritz Italiano

team-ben

Ben Newman

Head of Operations

Ben gained his passion for drinks and operations working in some of the country’s top cocktail spots. Ben’s attention to detail and creativity help to drive and inspire everything that we do.

Favourite cocktail: East 8 Holdup

team-jessie

Jessie Billows

Event Sales Manager

Jessie swapped working front of house in high-end restaurants to head up customer service and sales here at Black Pineapple in 2021, and thank heavens she did!
Jessie’s hospo / customer service background multiplied by drinks knowledge and passion means our customer’s experiences are in the best possible hands.
Favourite cocktail: Put the Rum in the Coconut
team-chris

Chris ‘Crispy’ McClean.

Event Operations Manager

Crispy has over 14 years experience in the hospitality industry, first in Pubs,
then Restaurants, and then a high-volume cocktail bars in N.Z where he discovered his passion for cocktail making. Crispy’s calm, meticulous approach means that every detail has been thought through ensuring 10/10 cocktails and
service at every event we cater.

Favourite cocktail: Tommy’s Margarita

team-miles

Miles

E-Commerce Sales Manger

Coming from one of Auckland’s best Cocktail Bars, Miles traded in his shakers at the end of 2022 to join the Black Pineapple Sales team. As your go-to Industry Drinks and Corporate-Gifting Liaison, Miles will be the first one to tell you it’s both his job and his pleasure to cater to your every need.

Miles had his first “Wow!” drinks-moment at home in his kitchen meticulously building his first ever Whiskey Sour. After a couple false-starts and a few cracked eggs, that drink’s silky smoothness flipped a switch in Miles’ brain and he’s been obsessed with Classic Cocktails ever since. Now you can catch him crusading to share that same joy with everyone- one delicious drink at a time.

Favourite cocktail: The Daiquiri

What we take care of

What we take care of

icon1

Campaign Management

icon2

Drinks Concepts

icon3

Drinks / Bar Theming

icon1

Staff Training and Education

icon4

Kit, Ingredients, Procurement

icon5

Staffing with experts

icon6

Bar & Equipment hire

icon7

Pack in / Pack out

icon8

Event Execution

icon1

Event and Duty Managers