Organic juice brand Sol-ti has named former Pressed Juicery chief Pawan Kalra as its new president and CEO, who steps into the role as Sol-ti founder Ryne O’Donnell shifts to the role of chairman and “Chief Vitality Advocate.”
Save for a brief departure and return in 2018, O’Donnell has run the brand since its launch, but had been seeking a new permanent CEO who could “professionalize and commercialize the business” for over a year, he told BevNET. With Kalra, whose work experience also includes a stint as CFO of frozen yogurt restaurant chain Pinkberry, O’Donnell said he found a candidate with the right combination of experience in the juice category who also has experience in both finance and scaling national businesses.
He also highlighted Kalra’s work managing Pressed Juicery’s brick-and-mortar stores – avoiding any permanent closures during the pandemic in 2020 – while also spearheading that brand’s wholesale CPG arm before stepping down as CEO in August 2022.
“Someone with Pawan’s skill set in our direct industry is rare,” O’Donnell said. “I mean, this is someone that operates businesses profitably, and has his entire career, and grows them substantially. And those two fundamentals are key.”
Founded in 2014, California-based Sol-ti has around 90 full time employees and produces a variety of UV Light-filtered juices, shots and “SuperAdes,” as well as a line of superfood trail mixes. According to the brand’s Circana data, in the 52-week period ending July 16 its total MULO beverage sales were around $23 million with over 54,500 points of distribution.
O’Donnell said that Kalra will aim to grow Sol-ti’s retail business with a focus on cash flow – a strategy O’Donnell has employed in his tenure as chief executive. The company has a plan to sustainably quadruple its distribution footprint over the next four years.
“It looks like if we simply increase our points of distribution the market share should take care of itself, because we’re outselling all the other brands on a revenue per point of distribution basis,” he said. “And it’s not because we’re in Whole Foods only. I mean, we’re beating them in conventional grocery and Publix. We’re in Target and we’re in Walmart. We’re in a bunch of grocery chains on the Eastern Seaboard. So it’s happening in all channels of wholesale.”
That strategy will also involve increasing production, O’Donnell added. Currently, Sol-ti has 40% additional capacity available at its current facility, but once that fills up he said the business will look to build another production plant, suggesting 2025 as a potential start date.
Kalra’s appointment will also help localize the brand’s leadership in California. Since around 2017 O’Donnell has lived and operated the business from Costa Rica where he also serves as the founder of sustainable land development company Permaculture Planet.
In his new positions as chairman and Chief Vitality Advocate, O’Donnell will seek to “champion the products” and company culture by encouraging team members to grow professionally and personally by “educating them on health decisions.” However, he will primarily keep out of day-to-day operations as Kalra settles into the position.
The move also comes shortly after Sol-ti executive VP of business development Adam Litvack announced his exit from the company in July. This week, he announced on LinkedIn he has joined juice brand Sofresco as senior VP and general manager for North America.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Sol-ti as we embark on the next chapter of the brand’s growth journey,” Kalra said in a press release. “As I’ve had an opportunity to spend time with Ryne over the last few months, I was drawn to Sol-ti’s authentic commitment to help consumers lead a healthier lifestyle without compromise. I look forward to bringing the brand into more homes nationally.”