On Thursday, April 9th at 7:00 PM, at our candle-lit seated dinner, we are honored to host Raj Bhakta, Founder of WhistlePig Whiskey and BHAKTA Spirits, and former candidate for the United States Congress.
Born to a Gujarati father from India and an Irish Catholic mother, Raj grew up in Philadelphia shaped by two worlds and spent decades searching for where they led.
He has built and lost companies, run for Congress, stared at empty Vermont farmland waiting for God to speak, and turned a chance discovery of century-old Armagnac in rural France into one of America's most remarkable spirits ventures.
Most recently, he made national headlines for gifting for free the former Green Mountain College campus a $20 million property, seeking someone with a vision for the revival of Western Christian civilization and the Catholic Faith.
Brief words from Raj:
"I lost the race in '06, spent a little time in India, figured it was time to sort of settle down in life and wait for God to talk to me about what I should do next, because I didn't have a clue. Bought a 500-acre farm and sort of stared at the seasons changing, expecting a voice from the heavens to open up and reveal to me what I should do next. That didn't happen. No revelations really come from the Almighty. The economy tanks. I need to figure out a way to make the farm productive." (source)
God works in mysterious ways. He showed up not as a burning bush, but as a bad economy, an empty farm, and a phone call about Canadian rye.
At Fides, Raj will share:
What it means to wait on God and have Him answer in ways you never imagined
How faith became the quiet center of his entrepreneurial life — not a brand, but a backbone
Why he is giving away a $20 million campus in search of a Catholic civilization worth building
What it looks like to take things that are broken and bring them back in business, in culture, and in the Church
Who Should Attend
Young Catholics discerning how faith and entrepreneurship belong together
Founders and operators who have hit bottom and rebuilt
Professionals wrestling with what success is actually for
Evening Schedule
18:45 – Doors Open — Settle in and meet fellow mission-driven Catholics.
19:00 – Cocktail Reception
19:30 – Seated for Dinner — Appetizer and dinner are served.
20:00 – Talk Begins — Raj shares reflections on faith, failure, restoration, and the long game.
20:45 – Q&A — A conversation on providence, culture, and what it means to build with conviction.
21:00 – Networking & Social — Continue the conversation over refreshments.
23:00 – Doors Close
Attire: Business Formal (Suit and tie for men, suit/dress for women)
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