Rahul Puranik is the chairman of the Sawnee Group of companies, a global multinational company that specializes in seven core industries: Hospitality, Distillery, Beverage Retail, Real Estate Investments, Strategic Procurement for the United Nations, Aviation Cargo, and Healthcare Supplies Distribution. Sawnee Group is based in Atlanta with offices in France, Ireland, and Singapore.
Rahul grew up in a middle-class, educated joint family in Vile Parle in Mumbai. His grandparents had a heavy influence on his upbringing and values, which include family, integrity, modesty, ethics, and giving back to the community. In 1990, at the age of 18, Rahul went to the United States for his undergraduate studies with just enough money for his first year. While working several side jobs, Rahul graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. After completing his education and working as an electrical engineer, he studied to be a commercial pilot and got his certified commercial license on a multi-engine plane. Soon after, Rahul developed an interest in winemaking and the backend processes that go into it. After moving to Atlanta, Rahul joined the School of Horticulture in Buckhead, which allowed him to venture into foreign vineyards. He ended up investing in vineyards in Australia, which was very profitable and helped him kick off his entrepreneurship journey.
This venture led him into a new set of endeavors. With his newfound knowledge of the liquor industry, a few years of experience shadowing at liquor stores, and the strong support of his wife, Swapna, he started building beverage malls in South Georgia. He started with Lagrange Beverage. He built the store from scratch and developed a working business model for it based on the customers. A few years later, once the business had become a successful well-oiled machine, he sold it to build a new store. This process continued with his next couple of beverage outlets: Columbus Beverage and Global Beverage. He currently owns both locations of the Macon Beverage outlet, one of which is the largest liquor store in Georgia.
While pursuing the beverage business, Rahul also ventured into the hospitality industry in a similar way. He started by investing in a Hyatt Place, then followed through by building a Courtyard by Marriott, a Wingate by Wyndham in Ohio, and a Ramada Suites in Georgia. Along a similar timeline, Rahul also attempted to further his interest in the aviation industry by launching three startup airlines in Southeast Asia.
Through his experience over the years, Rahul has come to believe that failures should not be seen as discouragement, but rather opportunities to get back up and try again. Like many other entrepreneurs, Rahul’s business career has had its fair share of failed projects, but each one taught Rahul something new and showed him how to propel himself forward. 
Currently, Rahul’s main focus is his distilling company Maison D’ Puranique, which is based in Southern France. The first product, a liquor made from Indian Alphonso mangos (Jus D’ Manguier), was launched in 2012 and won the first prize at the Atlanta Battle of the Bottles in 2014. Since then, the company has started distilling more spirits, including Mangeaux (an Alphonso mango liqueur made from Cognac), Puranique Vodka, Sweet Croissant wines, and more. Puranique Vodka won the Best Vodka Award, the Best Spirit Award, and the Best in the Category (from France) Award at the London Spirit Competition in 2018. The newest and most successful launch was of the Puranique Cognac which launched in Spring 2022.
Aside from his business endeavors, Rahul has also been very involved in giving back both globally and on a community level. Rahul has been working with the United Nations peacekeeping forces with individuals from all over the world since 2015.
Furthermore, when the pandemic hit in 2020, Rahul channeled his efforts and resources to create a healthcare company, Sawnee Healthcare, to support the State of Georgia emergency services. Sawnee Healthcare efficiently imported hand sanitizers, medical kits, masks, and other personal protection equipment from foreign nations and distributed them to hospitals all over Georgia.
Johns Creek, Georgia has been Rahul and Swapna’s home for the past twenty years, where they have built a strong and supportive friend circle and raised two kids. For the past eight years, Rahul has been mentoring high school and college students from the community. So far, he has worked with over 150 students. Rahul advises them to follow their dreams and keep their goals in mind, as he has, rather than just doing what others do. Through this mentoring, Rahul hopes to continue to help the next generation channel their efforts to realize their aspirations.