40Weight Consultancy’s focus is on clarity of what a brand is, what it isn’t, and why that matters.
With over 25 years of experience in the beverage industry, I bring deep expertise across spirits, wine, and emerging beverage categories.
Positioning is a decision, and restraint is a competitive advantage. I partner with founders and brand teams to strip ideas back to what’s essential, then build forward with intention.
No spectacle. No dilution. Just brands that endure.
Over the last three decades, Michelle has helped build, shape, and evolve some of the world’s most luxurious beverage brands including Bombay Sapphire, Bacardi, Grey Goose, Asti, SKYY Vodka, LaCroix Sparkling Water, Hangar One, G.H. Mumm, Mumm Napa, Perrier-Jouët, Jefferson’s Bourbon, and Código Tequila, among others. Her work spans global icons, emerging brands, and everything in between.
Michelle’s background bridges strategy and craft. She is an award winning creative director, brand strategist, packaging designer, photographer, and videographer, with hands-on experience guiding brands from early concept through launch, growth, and reinvention. She understands how brands are built not just in decks, but on shelves, behind bars, and in real consumer moments.
Her approach is rooted in clarity. Strategy comes first, but it’s never abstract. Every decision is informed by how beverages are regulated, distributed, merchandised, and chosen. The result is work that is intentional, commercially grounded, and built to last.
Through 40Weight Consultancy, she partners with founders and brand teams at moments of definition and change, helping them sharpen positioning, build cohesive brand systems, and express their ideas visually through packaging, photography, and film. The work is collaborative, disciplined, and tailored to what each brand actually needs.
No spectacle. No excess.
Just brands with structure, substance, and staying power.
Beverage brands don’t fail because they aren’t loud enough. They fail because they aren’t clear enough.
We’ll work together to remove the excess. To define the idea underneath the label. To build a brand that make sense. Commercially, culturally, structurally. Not everything needs to be said. Just the right thing.
My expertise includes:
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Clarifying what your brand stands for, who it’s for, and how it competes.
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Aligning vision, priorities, and decision-making across teams.
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Assessing ideas, extensions, and portfolios before they go to market.
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Guidance on how brands show up where purchasing decisions are made.
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Strategic guidance for launches, expansions, and growth moments.
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Structuring brands and portfolios to scale with intention.
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Concept-driven visual content that expresses brand strategy across channels.
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Senior-level partnership through growth, change, or complexity.
Process
Define
We start by understanding the brand in context. identifying your category, culture, constraints, and ambition.
Clarify
We identify what matters most: positioning, priorities, and the decisions that will shape the brand.
Build
We translate strategy into systems, from brand architecture to expression.
Activate
We support execution where it counts, from go-to-market strategy to visual content.