Lemon Perfect is bringing on David Kimmell, a former operations head at Onda and Spindrift, as its Chief Supply Chain Officer.
Founded in 2017, Lemon Perfect produces a line of sugar-free flavored waters made with lemon juice, positioned as a better-for-you alternative to lemonade. Last year, the company closed a $31 million Series A funding round which included investment from pop star Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and at the time founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel said the brand aimed to grow its national footprint to over 40,000 doors.
“Today is a monumental day for Lemon Perfect. David is a best-in-industry CPG executive and passionate people leader whose experience is unsurpassed,” Hufnagel said in a press release. “His operational wisdom will be key in ensuring that not only our supply chain but also our entire organization is billion-dollar-ready.”
Kimmell brings nearly 20 years of supply chain and operations experience to the role, most recently as COO of canned cocktail brand Onda and, before that, eight years as SVP Operations at sparkling water maker Spindrift. According to LinkedIn, he began in the field around 2004 in the boating industry at Donzi Marine before moving into the CPG space in 2010 as supply chain manager for Food Should Taste Good.
While he did not specify any unit or sales targets, Kimmell said he began in the role two weeks ago and his top priority at Lemon Perfect is to help scale the brand.
“I’ve seen firsthand how you think about 5,000 cases, 500,000 cases and 5 million cases and 50 million cases,” Kimmell told BevNET. “[I’m] really continuing to build for scale and for where we want to take this brand and ensure that operationally, we are prepared for that.”
According to Kimmell, he became acquainted with Lemon Perfect founder and CEO Yanni Hufnagel around 2021 after being introduced by Michael Zuckerman, principal at both brand’s packaging supplier Zuckerman Honickman. Initially just a casual relationship, he and Hufnagel would increasingly discuss the business and Kimmell said he would often “serve as an operational sounding board” when Hufnagel was trying to work through various logistics issues.
In July, Hufnagel offered Kimmell a board observer seat at Lemon Perfect, which then “morphed into a full-time role” in the c-suite.
“I have known Yanni for a few years and been able to see from the sidelines the incredible brand he’s been building and cheering him on and supporting him,” Kimmell said. “I was providing support here and there as it made sense, but nothing more than just a friendly relationship until more recently.”
Based in the Boston area, Kimmell will operate remotely, away from Lemon Perfect’s Atlanta, Georgia headquarters.
Currently, Lemon Perfect’s operations team includes seven full-time employees who report to Kimmell and he said the company will look to expand that division, particularly as the brand seeks additional servicing for key customers like Publix and Costco. The company will also be looking to expand its operations in manufacturing and quality as well, he added.
“I will get in and work with the team on the day-to-day,” he said. “But I also spend a lot of time thinking about 2026 and 2027, and what the business looks like at that scale and ensuring we have all the right things in place to help ensure that success.”