Eternal Water Taps Essentia Talent
Alkaline spring water brand Eternal Water announced this week it has named eight former Essentia executives to its team.
The new hires feature several executive positions, including VP of Marketing and Brand Tahne Davis, VP of National Accounts Craig Miller and VP of Sales Chris Schons. Additional appointments include Tim Dorman as Director of Sales, National Accounts; Alfred Garza and Jerry Meyers as Directors of Sales, and Jeff Bulman and Gary Eisele as National Account managers.
“This group of respected industry professionals is a dream team for Eternal. Each quickly understood our brand’s distinctive attributes and potential,” said founder and CEO Karim Mashouf in a press release. “Our new team brings best-in-class practices, vision, and the kind of energy that will make Eternal’s growth goals a reality.”
Founded in 2009, Eternal is currently available in over 30,000 retail doors nationwide, including Albertsons, Jewel Osco, Kroger, Public and Safeway stores. The company said with its new sales and marketing team in place it aims to increase its footprint to over 100,000 locations within the next three to five years.
Jones Soda Names New CMO Amid Push Towards Cannabis
As the company moves ahead with plans to enter the cannabis sector, Jones Soda announced this month it has named Bohb Blair as its new Chief Marketing Officer, the first time the company has named someone to the title.
Blair comes to the company from media agency Starcom, where he served as global Chief Experience Officer, working on campaigns for brands including Pringles, Budweiser and AirBnB. Blair also brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, having previously held roles at OMD, Mindshare, Legacy Marketing Partners and KBA Marketing.
According to the company, Blair was brought on to help guide Jones’ extension into the cannabis industry as it prepares to launch infused beverages and edibles in the near future.
“When our Jones Cannabis division comes online, we will need an expanded team to drive our go-to-market-strategy, product development and marketing initiatives for both our new business and our legacy craft soda line,” Jones president and CEO Mark Murray said in a release. “Bohb has extensive experience with brands of all sizes, the proven ability to make an impact on a limited budget, and an enthusiasm for helping us leverage our unique brand personality to achieve success in the cannabis space. He will be a great asset as we embark on this new strategy to grow the company.”
“I have known and loved Jones Soda products for years, and I would have been thrilled to work with them even before they entered the cannabis market because they are what every brand today aspires to be: authentic, social and community-driven,” Blair added. “I’m all about building brand experiences to drive business, and getting in on the ground floor of the cannabis line is a great opportunity to do that for both product segments.”
This week, Jones announced it had signed a previously announced definitive agreement to acquire Canadian reporting issuer Pinestar Gold Inc. at a price of 50 cents per subscription receipt. The deal comes over two years after cannabis investment firm SOL Global took a minority stake in Jones Soda and the company signalled its intent to develop cannabis-infused products. In a press release, Jones Soda said it will use proceeds from a concurrent offering to expand its cannabis production business.
According to a Bloomberg profile, Pinestar is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company, incorporated in 2006, with operations in Chile. Pinestar does not currently have an active online presence aside from an archived version of a company website from 2014 which mainly consists of a series of blog posts featuring tips for investing in gold. In January, the company announced it had closed a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of 20 million common shares.
Lemon Perfect Brings On PepsiCo Water+ Alum As CMO
Cold-pressed lemon water brand Lemon Perfect announced this week it has hired former Sr. Director of Marketing Communication for PepsiCo’s Water+ portfolio, Michael Smith as the company’s new CMO. In this new role Smith will focus on increasing consumer engagement through digital and social platforms, e-commerce, promotions, strategic partnerships and branded content.
In Smith’s previous role he worked on developing brand tenants and managing strategy and communication for names including bubly, LIFEWTR, and Aquafina. Smith also held various marketing roles under trademark Pepsi and the Gatorade brand during his decade-long tenure with the company.
“The biggest takeaway that I will bring to this role is the idea that from the specific will come the universal,” Smith said in an email. “Lemon Perfect will define a specific consumer target and our marketing will act in service to that target. This love for our core consumer will be the reason that the brand resonates in the larger marketplace.”
The announcement comes almost a year since the company closed its pre-revenue seed financing round at $11.6 million with the intent to use the new capital to build out a nationwide DSD network. Lemon Perfect, founded by former college basketball coach Yanni Hufnage, also boasts a range of celebrity and athlete investors including nine former or current NBA players
The California-based company was founded in 2017 and has experienced rapid growth at retail, reaching 10,000 stores nationwide through distribution agreements with companies such as Columbia Distributing, Polar Beverages and Big Geyser and retail partnerships with Walmart, 7-Eleven and Sprouts, among others.
“Lemon Perfect is experiencing exponential growth, driven by a great product that meets a consumer need,” Smith said. “It would be any marketer’s dream to help develop the story that will transform the product into an industry defining brand.”
Jennifer Yu in as Diageo’s VP of Brands and Culture
After developing and executing campaigns for spirits clients like Hennessey and DeLeon Tequila, Jennifer Yu has been charged with integrating multicultural PR and marketing efforts into a cohesive strategy as Vice President, Brands in Culture at Diageo North America.
Yu’s arrival at Diageo marks a return to the beverage industry, having previously served as Director of Public Relations and Entertainment Marketing at Hennessy and later Global Brand Director at DeLeon. Her most recent role was in technology sector, as Senior Global Events Lead at Apple.
“I’m passionate for this opportunity to make a meaningful impact at Diageo,” Yu wrote in an email. “They’ve proven to be an organization that values the importance of diversity and leads the industry with its ‘culture first’ approach to PR and Marketing.”
As brands seek to build deeper connections with their consumers, Yu said that a “‘one-size fits all’ message no longer resonates.”
“We can’t simply check the box,” she said. “To be successful, we must unearth the many perspectives and experiences of African American, LatinX and Asian American communities. Diageo is committed to building authentic connections with consumers and contributing in meaningful ways.”
New Wave Soda Brings on J.W. Fischer as Sales VP
Better-for-you soda maker New Wave Soda announced the hiring of CPG industry veteran J.W. Fischer as Sales Vice President. In his new role, Fischer will support the better-for-you CSD brand as it continues to add new innovations to its portfolio and further expands its retail presence. Prior to joining New Wave Soda, Fischer served as the VP of Sales at Sweet Reason Beverage Co. and has also held high-level sales roles at brands including Super Coffee and Honest Tea.
The San Diego-based company makes a low-calorie line of sodas in seven classic fruit flavors including Apple, Blackberry and Mango. The better-for-you soda contains 25 calories and no added sugar per 12 oz. cans which retail in 24-packs for $31.32. The company recently earned national distribution with Kroger.
Fischer comes to New Wave with two decades worth of beverage industry experience behind him and served as the Division Vice President for Venturing and Emerging Brands at the Coca Cola Company for five years. He also has an extensive track record for helping to grow and launch CPG beverage brands and has worked with companies including Vita Coco, Avitae and Snapple to ramp up distribution efforts.