DRY Soda Taps Experienced Manager To Further NA Reach
DRY Soda Co. has hired beverage sales executive David Clark as general manager to help the brand innovate deeper into the non-alc (NA) category as consumers continue to adopt spirits alternatives.
DRY founder Sharelle Klaus told BevNET that she wanted to bring in a strong leader who “knows how to sell” and “take it [DRY] to the next level.”
“David has a wealth of experience from operating his own business to leading sales and helping grow a great brand like REBBL,” she added.
Clark brings over 10 years of experience in the CPG beverage space, working in sales for Runa, Minna Sparkling Tea and Ruby Hibiscus along with his time at REBBL. He credits his attention to managing margins as a boon to every beverage brand he has worked for.
“My work is to continue the path to profitability that DRY is on and develop that further and ensure that the business is maintaining sustainability in its growth and developing through the years,” he said Thursday.
Clark has known Klaus for years and said that he has long admired Klaus’ ability to adapt the DRY brand as the beverage industry evolved.
Founded in 2005 as an early adopter in the NA category, it became known for sophisticated flavors like Lavender and Cucumber. DRY has leaned further into the NA alcohol alternatives category launching a three-SKU line of zero-proof bitters & sodas in 2021 under the refreshed name, DRY Botanical Bubbly. In June 2022, the company released two-SKUs of Botanical Bubbly Reserve in a larger 750 milliliter format.
Bubbly Reserve can be seen as a “higher end Martinelli’s” that speaks to adults rather than kids, Clark said, positioning it to meet the need for a celebratory beverage that can be available to non-drinking adults, kids or even used as a mixer.
Clark expects the category to evolve to the point where the NAs are taking up large amounts of retail shelf space. He thinks that DRY is perfectly situated to lead this new hybrid category of mixers, sodas and NA beverages.
“I think that the [NA] category is going to need some real leadership in stores to help coalescence and fine alignment,” he added. “Given that DRY’s been doing this for 17 years, there’s a real opportunity for DRY to help make that connection in-store…and then also help create room for all of the – what we call – competition.”
Mike Fedele Leaves BodyArmor
Longtime BodyArmor marketing executive Michael Fedele announced in December that he was leaving the Coca-Cola-owned hydration brand. His final day was Friday December 23.
First reported in Beverage Business Insights, Fedele’s announcement was reportedly made via an internal Coca-Cola/BodyArmor memo and said that “after 10+ years of overseeing marketing and helping build the BODYARMOR brand, I will be stepping away from the company…I am eternally grateful for the opportunity and incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Fedele started at The Coca-Cola Company in 2009 as a brand manager for Powerade. He went on to work as a senior brand manager for Vitamin Water before joining BodyArmor in 2012.
Ken Young Takes The Reins At Drink Monday
Beverage industry veteran Ken Young will be leading NA spirit company Drink Monday as CEO in an effort to build on the brand’s digital strategy and bring it into more stores.
Young said that Drink Monday will be launching a new fundraising round in the first half of the year to fuel these growth plans.
“The brand has been successful at fundraising prior, both with angels and crowdfunding,” he said. “But we need to level up now and talk to some strategic investors in the drink space. And also talk to some venture capital groups that sort of understand what we’re trying to do as a mission.”
Young plans on building on his experience working in management for companies like spirits brand Campari and, more recently, in the cannabis industry at Nutritional High. He describes himself as a “lifestyle brands guy,” which covers a myriad of categories from apparel and fashion to cannabis to CPG food and beverage, he said.
In watching the NA category “from the sidelines,” Young wondered if it could make the jump from trend to lifestyle. He has been excited to see consumer adoption of the space explode recently.
“What’s happening right now in the drink culture, to me… it’s a revolution, not an evolution,” he said. “Everything that is happening right now is very disruptive to the existing infrastructure of beverage alcohol brands from route-to-market to retail.”
Southern California-based Drink Monday was founded by entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast Chris Boyd in 2019. The company makes zero-proof whiskey, mezcal and gin. It claims to have sold to over 100,000 customers directly and currently services 800 retail shops through a direct to wholesale platform.
Drink Monday’s direct to consumer channel has done a “great job” scaling in digital, Young said, but he believes it needs to find its way onto more store shelves.
Young plans to take a “thoughtful” approach to scaling into national distribution with education about the category being one focus for driving consumer awareness. Drink Monday is a “premium product offering a premium, top shelf experience for consumers,” he said.
KeHE Distributors Announces CEO Succession Plan
KeHE Distributors last week unveiled its management succession plan, in which current CEO and 15-year company veteran Brandon Barnholt will transition to executive chairman of the board, effective April 1, with current board member Deb Conklin taking over the top executive role.
Since taking over as KeHE’s chief executive in 2007, Barnholt has helped lead the company “through an extraordinary time of growth,” according to a press release. Under his tenure the company expanded from a Midwest specialty operation to the largest pure-play distributor of specialty, natural, organic and fresh products in North America through the acquisition of Tree of Life in 2009, Nature’s Best in 2014 and Monterrey Provisions in 2016.
“Deb is a perfect cultural fit and is uniquely qualified with a solid combination of strong distribution and commercial experience in the food retail sector,” said Barnholt in a company press release. “She is a seasoned, talented executive with deep experience in the capital markets and a keen strategic mind.”
Founded in 1953, the Illinois-based company has grown to distribute products to more than 30,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers and other specialty retailers throughout North America.
Prior to being appointed CEO, Conklin served as a board member for KeHE’s employee-owned enterprise. Concurrently, she was the president and CEO of packaged ice manufacturer and distributor Reddy Ice.
“I want to thank the whole Reddy Ice team for being incredibly supportive, and I look forward to this amazing opportunity to serve the marketplace through the KeHE platform,” said Conklin in the release. “KeHE is an important distribution and supply chain partner throughout the retail food sector, and I look forward to helping all parties grow and succeed.”