For the second time in less than two years, Jones Soda is looking to new leadership to get itself back on track. Following CEO and President David Knight’s abrupt exit in October, a new era begins today with Scott Harvey and Brian Meadows stepping in as CEO and CFO, respectively, with designs to “transform Jones from a craft soda company into a full-fledged beverage company.”
Harvey’s experience is mainly in hospitality and restaurants, with a 40-year career that included stops at Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, Black Rifle Coffee and most recently as president of coffee chain Dunn Brothers. He takes over from interim president/CEO/CFO Paul Norman, who remains Jones’ Chairman of the Board.
Meanwhile, Meadows, who steps in as permanent CFO from two consecutive interim appointments, has a track record in CPG, highlighted by his most recent role as CFO at Simply Better Brands.
In a press release, Jones stated the new hires will guide strategy around three key areas: modern soda (represented by prebiotic Pop Jones and “Latin-inspired” Fiesta Jones), adult beverage (Spiked Jones and THC-infused Mary Jones) and craft soda, where packaging plays like 7.5 oz Jones Minis complement the core 12 oz. glass line. It’s part of a broad, multi-year strategy to reverse negative financial trends, targeting higher margin beverage categories to drive bottom-line improvements.
“In the last three months we have adjusted our business plan to prioritize what we believe to be the most promising segments of our portfolio, including new products in our innovation pipeline. We are confident that we now have all the pieces in place to deliver high growth and profitable performance,” said Norman.
“Both Scott and Brian have deep food and beverage experience, have successfully driven business transformation in their previous roles, and we believe will provide immediate hands-on value in implementing our strategy.”
The leadership shakeup coincides with Jones making a serious play for the convenience channel for the first time in its three-decade history. The Seattle-based brand is mounting a new strategic growth initiative this winter that has led it to already secure a presence in roughly 2,000 c-stores nationwide.
The push includes new distribution for its classic 12 oz. glass bottle sodas, Pop Jones in 12 oz. slim cans, and Fiesta Jones line in 16 oz. aluminum bottles, a product developed specifically for the convenience channel. The c-store expansion includes six Circle K divisions – primarily in the Southeast as well as the Grand Canyon and Great Lakes regions – and DK Convenience Stores along with “other national and regional chains,” the company reported.
“C-stores account for nearly half of all single-serve retail beverage sales, so establishing a strong footprint in the convenience channel promises to be a major contributor to our growth over the next few years,” said Norman in a press release. “These new agreements give us a solid foothold that we can leverage to continue expanding into this critical market as we execute our new five-year strategic growth plan.”