Driven from a young age to understand how the world works, Jake pursued a bachelor of engineering at MIT, followed by a master of engineering at UCLA. After a stint as a design engineer of implantable medical devices, he moved to France to pursue an MBA at Edhec in order to kick-start his lifelong dream of entrepreneurship. It was during his time there that he became allured by Benin’s traditional palm liquor, and set out to expand it into a category of liquor known beyond its West African origins. In 2013, at the completion of his MBA, Jake launched La Distillerie Béninoise, whose flagship product, Tambour Original sodabi, has won several prestigious international spirits awards and was the first palm liquor to be exported overseas. Based in Cotonou, Benin, Jake is a passionate advocate of high-quality spirit production, the growing cocktail culture in West Africa, and sharing Tambour Original sodabi with the world.There is a larger social aspect to the venture according to Christopher Carlsson, SpiritsReview.com – to quote Mr. Muhleman, “We are creating sustainable employment in a very impoverished area. Few products are made locally and we feel that by creating jobs and products, we can make an impact in the economic position of the country… and for employees.Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Social Enterprise, Mechanical Engineering, Supplier Interaction, Research and Development, International MBA, Leadership, Medical Devices, Technologies, African Business Development