Holiday Hours: 10am-5pm 12/24, Closed 12/25, 12/26, and 1/1
Meet the Team
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are passionate about what they do and make it their mission to help you find something you’ll love.
Meet the Team
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are passionate about what they do and make it their mission to help you find something you’ll love.
Meet our staff
Aaron
Spirits & Beer Team | Since 2021
Aaron (he/him) is a proud member of our Spirits and Beer staff. As a non-drinker, you can find him perusing our N.A. and THC sections! Outside of France 44 he spends most of his time watching hos partner crochet and playing with his cat, Suki! At least, when he’s not on his Xbox.
Adam
Wine Team | Since 2012
In addition to being part of France 44’s wine staff, Adam (he/him) is also in charge of building maintenance as well as being the team’s unofficial ambassador for wines from Slovenia and Croatia. If he wasn’t working at France 44, he would either be a professional golfer, still working in restaurants, or training to be part of the first group of humans to colonize Mars.
Anna
Marketing Coordinator | Since 2023
Anna (she/her) is the Marketing Coordinator here at France 44. She comes from a background in baking and pastry and has loved getting to learn more about cheese & wine at France 44, including earning a WSET 2 Certification in Wines. When she's not at work, you can find Anna gardening, seeing live music, and tending to her sourdough starter, Massimo.
Benjamin
Foods General Manager | since 2008
Our Cheesemonger in Chief Benjamin (he/him) is in charge of overseeing all three foods retail shops as well as our production kitchen. He is particularly keen on bubbles, and always has a hunk of Comte in his fridge (as everyone should). He would like the world to know that he never eats cold cheese, and neither should you.
Bennett
Spirits Team | since 2011
Bennett (he/him) is is our Spirits Buyer, is a Certified Cicerone® and holds his WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. You’ll often see him lurking about the German pilsner and kölsch sections. He also enjoys Steel Toe, Odell, and La Croix and chocolate milk on occasion. If he wasn’t at France 44, he’d be trying to make it work as a full-time snowboard bum. He and his wife share a great Anatolian Shepherd named Bear.
Bill
Beer Team | since 2006
Bill (he/him) is France 44’s beer buyer. He's been at the store since 2006 and has his WSET Level 3 Wines & Spirits certification. He regularly stocks his fridge with local Craft Pilsners, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Gin, Cocchi Americano, and Bubbles ... always Bubbles. At home, you'll find him cooking for his wife Bec, and arguing with his dog Mavis, the most stubborn Pyrenees in St. Paul.
Chris
Cashier, Beer, and Spirits Teams | since 2023
Chris (he/him) is one of our newest cashiers, and also works on our liquor and beer teams. Chris is an agave aficionado and has his WSET Level 1 Certification in Wines. Outside of France 44, he is also a local guide and history buff, and runs a private concierge service called the Twin City Squire. Find him reading up on Minnesota history on a slow day at the registers.
Dio
Graphic Designer | since 2019
Dio (they/them) is the resident doodler and graphic designer at France 44. They started as a cheesemonger at the St. Paul Cheese Shop, and since then have migrated to behind-the-scenes work making France 44 materials more beautiful. When not at France 44 Dio keeps busy by fighting pipelines, doing collaborative arts organizing, and building tiny things out of cardboard. They are thrilled to put their geography degree to use by creating wine maps for the liquor store.
Dustin
Wine Team | since 2011
Dustin (he/him) is one of our fearless leaders on the management staff with a focus in wine. He started working at France 44 nearly 10 years ago, which seems like only yesterday when you work at such an amazing place. He always has bubbles, Vizzy (for the antioxidants) and beef sticks in his fridge, and has a direwolf that he named after a wine grape.
Dylan
Spirits Team | since 2016
Dylan (he/him) is a manager and part of our spirits staff. He finds Kentucky Bourbon and Rye Whiskey particularly riveting, and also keeps a decent amount of beer and too much vermouth in his fridge. He once tore his MCL doing the limbo, and has been to Bonnaroo 29 times.
Emily
Wine Team | Since 2019
Emily (she/her) started working on the wine team at France 44 in 2022 following many years working in Twin Cities restaurants, and she has her WSET Level 3 in wine. Her favorite styles of wine are always changing, as is the dynamic world of wine! Her fridge and bar are consistently stocked with cheap bubbles, way too many jars of pickles, and Fernet Branca.
Hailey
Events Director | since 2020
Hailey (she/her) is our Events Director. She has a WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. She will forever be on a deep-dive into vineyard soil types and their effects on wines. Her fridge is always filled with a healthy combination of cheap beer, Riesling, and a shelf full of condiments.
Jake
Spirits & Beer Teams | since 2022
Jake (he/him) can be found primarily working in the Beer and Spirits departments, though he occasionally dabbles in Wine. He loves helping customers brainstorm ideas for new and interesting cocktails (ask him about his Caprese Sour cocktail), and talking all things whiskey. His fridge is stocked with a healthy combination of local hazy IPAs, Belgian beers, and Riesling, and he has an ever-growing whiskey collection.
Karina
Events General Manager | since 2013
Karina (she/her) is a wine educator and our Events General Manager. She has her Diploma in WSET Wines & Spirits, and finds that her fridge is constantly occupied by bubbles, Riesling, and non-alcoholic beer. She and her partner share an adorable dog named Ziggy who loves eating sticks as much as she likes drinking bubbles.
Luis
Mr. Clean | since 2008
Luis (he/him) is the reason our store stays as clean and beautiful as it does. When he’s not sanitizing, sweeping, vacuuming, or replenishing paper towels, he helps out at the registers with bagging and carry-outs on busy evenings and weekends. Give him a wave and an “hola!” next time you see him.
Peter
Foods Manager | since 2013
Peter (he/him) keeps our Cheese Shop running smoothly, and is also the grocery buyer for the foods business. His tastes are inspired by the changing seasons, and his fridge is currently stocked with the usual: fruits and vegetables, a few different cheeses, eggs, butter, jams, and ice cream sandwiches. His family’s farm business just turned 182 years old!
Rick
Wine Team & Proprietor | since 2000 (or 1984)
Rick (he/him) started back in the family business just as it was about to undergo a major expansion. His first memories of the building go back to the mid-70s when his dad put him in an empty beer box and rode him up and down the conveyor belt. He worked on-and-off through his teenage years, dusting bottles, stocking shelves and bagging ice. His wine cabinet is dominated by pinot noirs and Piedmontese reds. If he were not working here, he would be looking for new excuses to travel to wine country.
Rob
Beer Team | since 2018
Rob (he/him) is another proud member of our Beer Team's cave trolls. He's the sole employee brave enough to have his recommendation tags hanging below Hamm's If you don't mind a little breaking and entering, you'll find his fridge stocked heavily with Pales, Pils, and the aforementioned cans from the Land of Sky Blue Waters. Oh, and Old Home Small Curd Cottage Cheese.
TK
Wine Team | since 2018
TK (she/her) is part of our wonderful wine team and has her WSET Level 2 Certification in Wines. Thank god, wine is gluten free! TK is proudly Deaf & an LGTBQ ally, and can communicate with you either in sign language or with her phone's text notes. She enjoys learning about wines and how they pair with food, and off duty, is a dog mama and loves to spoil her fur baby, Marv.
Employment opportunities
We are always on the hunt for service-oriented, honest and smart individuals who love to work hard. Visit our employment page to learn more about our job opportunities, requirements, and how to apply.
