Jack Lord Named La Colombe’s New VP of DSD
La Colombe has announced Jack Lord will be handed the keys to drive the coffee producer’s new distribution partnership with Molson Coors Beverage Company as the company’s new vice president of DSD sales.
The appointment, announced Tuesday, puts Lord, an experienced industry operator with previous stints at PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company, at the helm of the 10-year distribution agreement. Molson Coors will distribute La Colombe’s expanding family of ready-to-drink coffee products in the drug and convenience stores starting in 2021, with plans to eventually take over other channels as well.
“We are thrilled to have Jack join the La Colombe team as the Vice President of DSD Sales,” said Kyle O’Brien, EVP of La Colombe Coffee Roasters, in a press release. “His 30+ years of senior sales and marketing experience within the beverage industry will be a great fit to drive the Molson Coors Beverage Company partnership while focusing on building out the internal support teams that will manage the tremendous sales growth in the days and months to come.”
Lord’s background in the beverage industry spans across companies and disciplines, including roles in managing key accounts, as a manufacturer’s representative and in brand sales and marketing. His experience also includes a stint at foodservice giant Aramark and most recently at Bai, where he led the company’s DSD business with independent bottlers before becoming the commercial lead for Keurig Dr Pepper’s partnership with imported water brand evian.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of a company with such a great entrepreneurial culture and ambitious vision for the future,” Lord said in the release. “I’m looking forward to bringing my experience in DSD to help take this brand to another level.”
Talwar Elevated to CEO at CircleUp
CPG investment platform CircleUp announced that CEO and co-founder Ryan Caldbeck, who has been in the role since 2011, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, with current president Nick Talwar set to succeed him as chief executive.
Talwar, a former Uber and Amazon executive, joined CircleUp in July.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this organization into its next phase of growth,” Talwair said in a press release. “I’m grateful for the company Ryan, Rory and the team created, one based on remarkable technology, successful business built on top of that technology, and a work culture where innovation thrives. We have an exciting roadmap ahead and I’m inspired by our potential for growth and impact.”
CircleUp, which is based around its proprietary machine learning platform Helio, has backed a range of brands in the natural CPG space, including nutpods, Barnana, Koia, Liquid I.V. and Pop & Bottle. The firm began as a platform for brands to connect with outside investors before transitioning to, and launching, its own fund.
Califia Farms New CMO
Suzanne Ginestro has been appointed the new chief marketing officer at plant-based beverage and coffee maker Califia Farms.
Ginestro, a graduate of Northwestern University, joins the company from snack bar and food maker Quest Nutrition, where she also served as CMO, which was acquired by the Simply Good Food Company in 2019. She joins newly appointed Califia CEO Dave Ritterbush, who previously was CEO at Quest. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has previously held positions in marketing and innovation at Campbell Fresh and Bolthouse Farms, both divisions of The Campbell Soup Company.
“There is so much potential for Califia Farms as a leading brand in the plant-based space,” said Ginestro in an emailed statement. “I am thrilled to nurture this beautiful and beloved brand that makes both incredible products and a difference in the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.”
Lemon Perfect Names New SVP of Sales
Lemon Perfect has announced Mike Sharman has been named as the company’s new senior vice president of sales.
Sharman, who has previously held sales roles at Vitaminwater, ZICO and Essentia, joins Lemon Perfect from his most recent position as Chief Sales Officer at hemp-infused sparkling beverage maker Recess.
Lemon Perfect’s founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel praised Sharman’s “professionalism, experience, likeability, and integrity” as “unparalleled in the beverage industry.”
“Mike has the winning playbook and gives Lemon Perfect instant credibility as we build our national DSD network,” he said. “This was a home run hire.”
Calling the brand a “breakthrough beverage,” Sharman reflected on the similarities between Lemon Perfect and previous success stories.
“Having helped build the foundation of Vitaminwater and seeing firsthand how a brand can create its own category, I could easily see Lemon Perfect following the same path and even becoming the fastest brand to reach $100 million in retail sales ever,” he said.
The company also announced two other recent hires: Allie Sallberg, a former marketing manager at Red Bull and ONE Brands, has joined as senior director of marketing, while Brandon Lennox, previously of Soylent, has been named to the company’s first full-time finance role as director of finance & people.
New Revenue, Marketing Leaders Announced at KOS
Plant-based functional product brand KOS has named Derek Dearwater as its new chief revenue officer and Kevin Dalaeli as chief marketing officer. According to the company, Dalaeli and Dearwater’s shared goal is to help elevate the company, which has entered 13,000 new points of sale this year, as “a widely distributed, mission-based brand whose message of deeply natural health and happiness will find a global audience.”
“Derek and Kevin bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating and developing emerging plant- based brands to incredible growth and innovation,” said Tony Stahl, KOS Co-CEO and co-founder, in a release.
According to a press release, in his previous role — a 7.5 year stint with plant-based supplement and lifestyle company Naturade — from 2012 to 2018 Dearwater increased the company’s top-line revenue by 40% through organic growth of its existing brands, as well as through the development of new brands VeganSmart and VeganSlim. He also has sales experience at companies including Pfizer (Wyeth), The Nature’s Bounty Company (Leiner), Shell Oil Products and ConAgra Foods.
“KOS is at the beginning of a major growth trajectory and I feel privileged to have a seat aboard the plant-based rocket ship,” Dearwater stated. . “I’m looking forward to aggressively garnering market share through expanding our distribution points worldwide, and across all category segments in which our wonderful broadline brand competes.”
Dalaeli, meanwhile, is joining KOS from Nutrabolt, the parent company behind performance energy drink and supplement brand C4. As the company’s EVP of digital & interim CIO, he helped drive over $100 million retail annually on digital platforms.
“COVID has had a major impact on the exponential growth of digital and the greater focus on health & wellness” said Dalaeli. “KOS is perfectly positioned at the intersection of the explosive digital and wellness growth trends. I’m excited to be working with such an incredible brand, and energized about reinforcing the positive impacts on our health and the environment that a plant-based diet promotes.”
Positive Beverage Names New CEO, Dir. of National Accounts
After gaining traction this summer, Los Angeles-based Positive Beverage said it is “doubling-down on talent acquisition” with the announcement of several new hires.
Jim Valentic, a former Red Bull and Bai sales manager, has been named as Positive’s new director of national accounts. His most recent role, according to LinkedIn, was as director of emerging Brands at Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).
“I miss the ‘brand building’ years, and wanted a challenge and a place to use my relationships and experience to push behind a true, authentic brand that has so much potential in the “Better for You” space,” Valentic said in a press release. “Consumers continue to gravitate to products that have outstanding taste and healthy attributes, and Positive Beverage delivers what they are looking for.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month the company turned inward to find its new CEO, with Shannon Argyros succeeding Zack Muchnick, who is now focused on innovation and operations as COO.
“Stepping into this role will allow us to boldly approach the market with a line that is as versatile as the lifestyles and trends of our consumers; from moms looking for something better for their family, to athletes looking for better recovery; even those looking to celebrate with us by using it as a premium cocktail mixer, Positive Beverage does that – and I am so excited to lead our team moving forward!” Argyros stated.