There’s been a changing of the guard at Lemon Perfect. Former Mast-Jägermeister US chief executive Jeff Popkin was announced as the new CEO of the enhanced water brand this week, while founder Yanni Hufnagel has moved into the role of executive chairman.
The CEO shift comes amid other top personnel changes at the Atlanta-based company, as president, chief revenue officer and board member Jim Brennan announced on LinkedIn that he is retiring from full time responsibilities, but will continue to work in the industry in board and advisory roles.
Meanwhile, another new face is joining Lemon Perfect with incoming chief sales officer Gui Weaver, who comes to the brand after a 15 year run at Monster Energy.
“We are proud of the foundation we have built to date to set Lemon Perfect up for future long-term success,” Brennan wrote on Wednesday. “I would like to thank all of our Customer, Distributor, and Broker partners who support our team on a daily basis.”
“As I think about [the] future of Lemon Perfect, I am truly excited about the growth potential of the brand,” he continued. “We will also continue to build the best team in the industry as we expand the leadership team with total beverage experts Jeff Popkin and Gui Weaver.”
Neither Popkin nor Hufnagel appear to have publicly commented on the CEO shift, but both have updated their LinkedIn profiles to reflect the move.
Popkin brings over 30 years of beverage industry experience to the role, having previously served as president of The Vita Coco Company and as CEO of Red Bull Distribution Company, KEG 1 and most recently at GT Spirits. He is also a non-executive director at mixer brand Fever-Tree.
Hufnagel, a former college basketball coach, founded Lemon Perfect in 2017 and had served as its only CEO until now.
According to Circana, dollar sales of Lemon Perfect’s flavored waters in U.S. retail, MULO plus convenience, were up 4.4% in the 52-week period ending July 14, 2024 to over $32.6 million. That data may not reflect all of the company’s product lines or sales channels.
Lemon Perfect has raised over $42.2 million in financing since its founding, most recently closing a $31 million Series A funding round in 2022, which included investment from pop star Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, as well as institutional firms including Beechwood Capital, Goat Rodeo Capital, Melitas Ventures, NNS Capital and Trousdale Ventures.
BevNET has reached out to Lemon Perfect for comment.