BlueTriton Brands has appointed former Johnson & Johnson executive Jorge Mesquita as CEO, tasked with overseeing its portfolio of nationally distributed bottled water brands acquired from Nestle.
Mesquita previously served as EVP and worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s consumer division, overseeing marketing and strategy revamps for the Johnson’s Baby, Neutrogena and Listerine brands. He previously spent nearly three decades at The Procter & Gamble Company, most recently serving as Group President of Global Fabric Care, overseeing Tide and Ariel Pods.
In a press release, Dean Metropoulos, chairman and former interim CEO of BlueTriton, called Mesquita a “transformational leader with an impressive track record of driving game-changing innovation, building brands and delivering top and bottom-line results.”
“Jorge is the ideal executive to lead BlueTriton as we seek to expand our market leadership, advance our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship and realize the potential of our unrivaled portfolio of water brands,” he said.
Based in Connecticut, BlueTriton Brands was formed earlier this year when private equity firm One Rock Capital Partners and family-owned investment firm Metropoulos & Co. acquired the Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) business for $4.3 billion. With its focus on water narrowing to premium imports like S. Pelligrino and Perrier — alongside newly acquired Essentia on the premium end of the category — the Swiss conglomerate shed itsNWNA’s entire portfolio of bottled water brands including Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills and Arrowhead, as well as the Nestlé Pure Life and Nestlé Splash brands. The deal also included NWNA’s 27 North American production facilities.
In May, BlueTriton announced that it would transition all of its brands to 100% rPET bottles and launched a new national campaign, called Made For a Better Tomorrow, to highlight its sustainability efforts.
“The water category is primed for growth and innovation as more consumers seek healthy hydration alternatives to sugary drinks,” Mesquita said in a press release. “With an exceptional portfolio of beloved brands, BlueTriton is well-positioned to capitalize on this tremendous market opportunity. I look forward to working with our outstanding management team and talented professionals throughout the company to raise the bar on innovation while continuing to lead the way in sustainable water management and being a good neighbor in the communities in which we operate.”
In addition to BlueTriton, Metropoulos & Co. has a wide portfolio of investments in food and beverage brands including Hostess, Pabst Brewing Co. and Pinnacle Foods Inc. Based in New York, One Rock’s portfolio covers multiple industries including chemicals, specialty manufacturing, healthcare products and food manufacturing and distribution.
According to IRI, sales of the BlueTriton portfolio were broadly up in the 52-week period ending June 13. Nestlé Pure Life grew 4.5% to $742.8 million, while Poland Spring was up 1.5% to $727.7 million. Deer Park (1%), Ice Mountain (3.5%) and Zephyrhills (5.7%) also saw sales growth in the period, but Ozarka was down 1.1%.