Premium cocktail mixer brand Q Mixers has named Betsy Frost as its new CEO, taking over the role from outgoing chief executive Bob Arnold.
“We are thrilled to welcome Betsy as our new CEO and are confident that she will take the brand to new heights,” said Q Mixers board chair Bob Nakasone in a press release. “Her thoughtful approach to building brands, combined with her strategic vision and proven leadership excellence, will be instrumental in driving exceptional results.”
Frost comes to Q after two years as the CEO of Colorado-based HopTea maker Hoplark, where she is credited with helping close the brand’s Series A funding round, which secured a strategic partnership with the round’s lead investor Brooklyn Brewery, and overseeing portfolio expansion that positioned the brand more directly in the non-alcoholic beer space.
Prior to Hoplark, Frost served as President of premium CSD brand DRY Soda – which has at times, like Q, been similarly positioned as a sparkling mixer brand – and before that spent over 13 years at General Mills where she oversaw marketing efforts for household name brands like Cheerios and Yoplait.
“I’m honored to join this incredibly talented team who is redefining quality in the mixer category,” said Frost. “Together with our team and partners, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of innovation, quality and flavor to delight consumers and grow category usage.”
Frost’s arrival comes with the apparent departure of Q CEO Bob Arnold, who had joined the brand in 2022, taking over the role from founder Jordan Silbert.
At the time of Arnold’s appointment, Q had been experiencing strong double-digit growth amid a lift in premium liquid cocktail mixer sales. However, more recent data suggests fortunes have changed as the cocktail mixer category has been in decline in U.S. retail.
According to Circana, cocktail mixer sales in MULO and c-store were down by 7.1% for the 52-week period ending August 11. The liquid cocktail mixer set, where Q competes, was down by a relatively more benign 0.6%, but Q’s tracked products in that segment fell by 17.1%.
As a segment, tonic waters and club soda fell 13% in the same period, but Q’s lines outperformed the category, declining only 5.8%. That data does not include all brick-and-mortar channels and may not cover every product produced by Q.
What initiatives Frost will focus on to generate new growth at Q is still unknown. As well, it’s not yet clear where her exit from Hoplark leaves the NA brand and who will assume the CEO role in her place.
BevNET has reached out for additional comment.