# LeAnn Darland

> LeAnn Darland is the New York-based co-founder and co-CEO of TALEA Beer Co. An Ohio native, Naval Academy graduate, former Navy signals intelligence officer and former Google finance professional, she manages TALEA’s brewing, production scheduling, wholesale and back-office work. She and Tara Hankinson began building the business in 2018, released their first beer in 2019 and opened the Williamsburg brewery in 2021; TALEA added its sixth taproom in September 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, Co-CEO at TALEA Beer Co.
- **Organizations:** TALEA Beer Co., Hopsy, Google, United States Navy
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in economics, United States Naval Academy, Master’s degree in finance, Johns Hopkins University, MBA, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded TALEA Beer Co. with Tara Hankinson., Shared recipient of the 2023 StarChefs Rising Star Concept Award., Inc. Female Founders honoree in 2024 and 2026.

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Graduated from the United States Naval Academy; subsequently served five years as a Navy signals intelligence officer, stationed in Hawaii and San Diego.
- **After Navy service** — Moved into corporate finance in the Bay Area and worked at Google for three years.
- **2015-2018** — Earned an MBA at Berkeley Haas and began homebrewing.
- **2018** — Met Tara Hankinson at Hopsy and began building TALEA; formed its LLC within three months of meeting.
- **2019** — TALEA released its first beer in April.
- **2021** — Opened the Williamsburg brewery and taproom in March.
- **2022** — TALEA opened its Cobble Hill taproom.
- **2023** — TALEA opened Bryant Park and West Village taprooms; founders received a StarChefs Rising Star Concept Award.
- **2024** — Recognized on Inc.’s Female Founders list.
- **2026** — Recognized again by Inc.; TALEA partnered with NYPL on Washington’s beer recipe and opened its sixth taproom in September.

## Achievements

- Co-founded TALEA Beer Co. with Tara Hankinson.
- Shared recipient of the 2023 StarChefs Rising Star Concept Award.
- Inc. Female Founders honoree in 2024 and 2026.
- Inc.’s 2026 profile recognized oversight of production of 2.5 million beers at TALEA’s Brooklyn facility.
- Helped build a company with six New York City taprooms as of September 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — TALEA opened its sixth taproom on the Upper West Side, at Amsterdam Avenue and West 81st Street.
- **2026-07** — Discussed her production, wholesale and back-office responsibilities, favorite burgers and the NYPL beer collaboration in Burger Diva’s Perfect Pair interview.
- **2026-06** — TALEA and the New York Public Library launched Liberty Lager, inspired by George Washington’s 1757 small-beer recipe.

## Links

- Website: https://www.taleabeer.com/pages/about
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leann-darland-97833013
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lea_of_talea/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/leann-darland
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-13