L.A. Libations Hires Kroger’s Michael White, Promotes Shah and Orr
Beverage incubator L.A. Libations has hired former Kroger category manager Michael White as its new director of sales, overseeing the East Coast market. The move comes as the company promotes two others from within; Bonnie Shah will assume new duties as VP of marketing and innovation while Gloe Brands COO David Orr is set to take over responsibility for L.A. Libations’ internal incubation unit, SIP.
The personnel moves come as the company continues to evolve under its partnership with Molson Coors, said L.A. Libations co-founder and CEO Danny Stepper. In particular, the addition of White signals a deeper focus on nationwide growth.
“We have really solid relationships with Target and Walgreens in the Midwest, but we don’t really focus on that region and we don’t, quite frankly, really leverage those relationships well enough,” Stepper said. “Then there’s the myriad of customers in the Northeast, like Duane Reade is a very important customer for us. Michael will look after them, Stop and Shop, Publix. There’s really a playground for him with the great brands that we have to go out and make stuff happen.”
Stepper said he and his team had gotten to know White through the company’s long standing relationship with Kroger and he credited White with driving the retailer’s “forward thinking” beverage sets.
White spent over 25 years with Kroger, according to LinkedIn, joining the company as a store manager in 1995. Since 2017 he has served as a corporate category manager for water, sparkling water, tea, isotonics, energy drinks and other single serve products.
“I’ve got a strong passion for innovation,” White told BevNET. “L.A. Libations is one of the few companies that I’ve worked with over the years with a strong passion for incubating brands and creating so it was a natural fit to be with the company.”
Shah, who joined L.A. Libations as director of business in 2018, moves into the VP of marketing position as the company seeks to lean more heavily on its own innovations, including new products created in partnership with Molson Coors as well as brands like Don’t Quit, Gloe and Arriba Chelada. According to Shah, the company is now looking to increase its in-house marketing capabilities capable of supporting brands in retail and building out DTC.
Shah said the new marketing unit will be called L.A. Vibrations and in addition to launching the companies own products will help support partner brands and startups in need of support at launch.
“At the moment, we’re looking at creating services that really surround where we’ve already been playing in our own battlefield,” Shah said. “We’re building 12 month plans, all-inclusive budgets, and go-to-market strategies that are really focused for specific retail and different channels to drive consumer awareness and a place for marketing initiatives that will drive purchase.”
Shah previously oversaw L.A. Libations’ internal incubator program, SIP, which will now be helmed by David Orr. Orr joined the company in November as COO of Gloe Brands — a position that is now vacant but will be filled in the near future. He previously served as Chief Revenue Officer at Halo Labs and has also held senior director-level sales positions during a 14-year run at PepsiCo.
“This incubation period is so critical for brands, you really get only one time to be new — maybe two — but you really want to do it right,” Orr said.
Orr said he plans to implement a solidified blueprint for brands in the incubator program, which lasts six months, that will help guide participants on marketing, positioning, pricing, promotional strategy, branding and other areas.
Jones Soda Appoints Mark Murray as President
Seattle-based CSD brand Jones Soda Co. announced yesterday that it has named Mark Murray as president, effective September 1.
Murray comes to the craft soda maker from JGC Foods, where he served as president. According to a press release, Murray is credited with creating a “broad range of strategic initiatives” that nearly tripled sales and cut costs, eventually leading the company to an acquisition by a capital fund.
“Bringing in a proven executive with nearly four decades of experience in implementing sales strategies and driving revenue growth is a pivotal step forward for Jones Soda,” Jamie Colbourne, interim CEO of Jones Soda, said in the release. “Mark has a proven track record with exceptional leadership traits and ability to implement the necessary tactics to increase sales. We look forward to having Mark’s expertise as we remain committed to resetting our go-to-market approach and evaluating strategies to drive profitability and sustain growth going forward.”
Nutrabolt Names New Chief Digital Officer, CMO Exits
Nutrabolt, the maker of energy drink brand C4, has named Rajaa Grar as its chief digital officer, the company announced in a press release.
Grar will head development of a digital strategy which will allow Nutrabolt to to scale its consumer base and optimize its direct-to-consumer platform. The newly created role is part of an internal company development program dubbed “Nutrabolt 2.0,” intended to modernize the brand’s commercial model.
“When the opportunity came, it was important to join a company that not only has integrity in developing brands that are of the highest scientific standards, but also brands that consumers love,” Grar said in the release. “By defining and elevating our online presence, we can fully tap into our mission to innovate, inspire and make products that maximize human potential accessible to all.”
The announcement comes as Nutrabolt CMO John Hardesty moves on from the brand after four years, taking a position as chief brand officer at fitness company V Shred.
“During COVID-19 we made the decision to move our family back home to Boise, Idaho to be surrounded by family as we welcomed our second child into the world, Bowie Jones,” Hardesty wrote in a LinkedIn post. “With that move came the realization that working as the CMO of Nutrabolt would no longer be an option.
“I am proud of the work we created as a team. The consumers that were invited to maximize their potential,” he continued. “And the many relationships that were established that will continue for many years to come. I will forever be grateful for opportunity to work with the individuals I did at Nutrabolt over the past 4 years.”
Matt Swenson Takes Director of Coffee Role at Nestlé
Matt Swenson is moving up within the Nestlé network, ending his tenure as Chameleon Cold-Brew chief product officer to take a position as the director of coffee at Nestlé USA. In his new role, he will oversee brands including Chameleon, Nescafe, Starbucks, Nespresso and Blue Bottle.
Swenson previously held that title when he first joined Chameleon in 2016, a year prior to the brand’s acquisition by the Swedish CPG conglomerate.
“Today is an exciting, yet bittersweet day as it marks the end of my tenure at Chameleon Cold Brew,” Swenson wrote in a LinkedIn post yesterday. “Nearly three years after being acquired by Nestle, I feel more confident than ever about the future trajectory of the brand and it’s continued leadership in sustainable organic coffee…. I couldn’t be more excited about the projects that lay ahead, to take what we’ve been able to achieve as a small team at Chameleon and apply it to a global market leader, and continue to move the needle in the direction of a more sustainable coffee future for farmers and consumers, alike.”
Vita Coco Names Halima Aden “Chief Coconut Officer” to Support Global Initiative
Model, activist and UNICEF Ambassador Halima Aden has joined Vita Coco as the brand’s Chief Coconut Officer, the company announced in a press release. Aden will serve as a global spokesperson for the brand’s social impact initiative — The Vita Coco Project — which seeks to support coconut farming communities in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
“Now more than ever, it’s really important to me to partner with brands that share my values,” Aden said in the release. “After I visited the coconut farms with Vita Coco last year, and saw the work that they do firsthand and the impact it has, I knew it was an organization that I wanted to be a part of. I personally understand what economic opportunity and education can do for a community, and I’m excited to help advance this important work.”