Geoff Ross

Geoff Ross is a New Zealand entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of 42 Below, the vodka brand that started in a Wellington garage and sold to Bacardi for million.

Ross co-founded 42 Below with Stephen Sinclair and Grant Baker, building it from a homemade distilling operation into what became the world’s most awarded vodka, sold in more than 5,000 bars across the globe. The brand listed on the NZX before its sale to Bacardi in 2006, a deal that gave New Zealand one of its most celebrated consumer-brand exits.

With the proceeds, Ross and his co-founders established The Business Bakery, an investment vehicle that backed companies including Moa Beer (where Ross served as CEO) and Trilogy International, which was sold in 2018 to Citic Capital China Partners for million. Ross also sits alongside Justine Troy, his partner in both business and life, who played a central role in 42 Below’s brand and culture.

More recently, Ross and Troy purchased Lake Hawea Station, a 6,500-hectare high-country property in Central Otago, where they farm in partnership with Silver Fern Farms, a shift from spirits to sheep that reflects a broader interest in New Zealand’s land-based economy.

Ross’s profile is noteworthy because 42 Below proved that a New Zealand spirits brand could achieve global cult status and a major international exit and his subsequent career, from craft beer to high-country farming, shows the range of a founder who keeps building.

Geoff features in our look at how New Zealand brands break out globally.

Sources: Kea New Zealand · RNZ · NBR