Christa Cotton is the CEO of El Guapo. While studying at Auburn University, she helped her father open Georgia’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. She moved to New Orleans permanently after graduation, and acquired the El Guapo trademark after a stint in advertising. She set out to modernize cocktail culture with inclusive drink options in 2017, well before the alcohol free movement swept the nation. Today, El Guapo makes bitters, syrups, mixers and canned bitters & soda. The brand is certified woman owned by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Christa’s work has earned significant national recognition. She received the 2025 Tory Burch Foundation Founder’s Award and was named to Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 Tastemakers 2025. She is a seven time Good Food Awards winner, James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Fellow, Tory Burch Foundation Fellow and a spirits mentor for The LEE Initiative.

She has successfully raised seven figures in investment capital and is successfully scaling the business in New Orleans focusing on customer service, sustainability and quality ingredient sourcing. She’s a mom first and entrepreneur second, living in Uptown New Orleans with her husband, daughter and Bernese Mountain Dog Archie Manning.