Suja Veteran Greg Rose Finds His Next Project as CMO of Proud Source Water
When Greg Rose stepped down as CMO of cold-pressed juice brand Suja in December after nearly six years with the company, he intended to take some time off with his family before choosing his next venture. Less than six months later, he found his next project, joining aluminum bottled water brand Proud Source Water as CMO this month.
Rose joins Idaho-based Proud Source in a mostly remote role, operating out of his San Diego home. He came to the brand shortly after its acquisition by water tech company SOURCE Global in March, which placed the bottled water under the management of SOURCE’s brand president Neil Grimmer. According to Rose, he was recruited to the CMO role by ForceBrands and was attracted by SOURCE’s B Corp status and the opportunity to work with Grimmer, who previously co-founded Plum Organics and nutrition company Habit.
“I love the infinitely recyclable aspect or the packaging, that’s something in beverage that is being sought more and more by consumers,” Rose said. “And so having worked at a company where that was a challenge at times, the ability to have infinitely recyclable packaging was attractive to me.”
Proud Source Water produces aluminum-packaged, naturally alkaline spring waters in both bottle and can formats. The brand is available nationwide and entered a distribution partnership with PepsiCo Beverages North America in 2021.
SOURCE Global also manufactures the SOURCE Hydropanel, a sustainable technology that converts water vapors in the air into drinking water. SOURCE previously sold its own sustainable bottled water products, but after the acquisition Proud Source is the sole CPG brand in its portfolio. At Natural Products Expo West in March, Grimmer told BevNET the company intends to make its Hydropanel-produced water available under the Proud Source brand, in addition to its spring water products.
According to Rose, whose past marketing experience also includes tenures at General Mills and Johnson & Johnson, he had wanted his next role after Suja to be at an emerging brand with “a really good foundation and strong proof of concept” on the cusp of scaling – a trait he believes Proud Source fits.
“Proud Source is exactly that, because they’ve done well everywhere they’ve been distributed thus far, but now, they have some big anchor accounts that will be coming online pretty shortly,” Rose said. “So for the rest of 2023 and going into 2024 it’s that combination of having more brand awareness, more big accounts, and then a game changing innovation.”
Two weeks into the role, Rose said his immediate focus has been on how to market and craft the storytelling around Proud Source’s original sprint water line and the upcoming “renewable sky water” products, and to determine how the products will live together in the portfolio. As well, Rose said he is exploring options to grow the marketing team in order to help scale the brand over the next two years.
ZICO Rising Appoints Ryan Therriault as ‘Fractional’ CMO
Former Vive Organic CMO Ryan Therriault has taken the title of Fractional CMO at coconut water brand ZICO Rising as of this month, according to LinkedIn.
Therriault joins the brand months after it raised $14 million in January, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. ZICO founder Mark Rampolla purchased the brand back from The Coca-Cola Company in 2021, after Coke discontinued the coconut water line in 2020 as part of an initiative to cull hundreds of underperforming brands from its portfolio.
The revamped brand, now called ZICO Rising, is operated by CEO Tom Hicks under PowerPlant Ventures – which Rampolla co-founded and is a managing partner – and makes pure and flavored coconut waters as well as the ZICO Hydrate sports drink line.
Therriault comes to ZICO after spending a year with juice shot brand Vive Organic, which was acquired by Suja in October. Per LinkedIn, Therriault left the juice maker in January and is also serving as Fractional CMO Advisor for sustainable cleaning products brand WildClean.
Prior to Vive, Therriault had held marketing positions at Glanbia, Sambazon, Amazing Grass, Bear Nutrition and Kashi, among other brands. On his LinkedIn profile he cites a “Passion for scaling early to mid-stage start-ups alongside inspiring and motivating team members.”
Therriault could not be immediately reached for comment.