Mari Lee Joins Lemon Perfect
CPG marketing vet Mari Lee has found her next project as CMO of enhanced water brand Lemon Perfect, joining the business after a five-year stint at sports nutrition and energy drink maker Nutrabolt.
Speaking to BevNET last week, Lee said she had not been seeking to leave Nutrabolt, but was drawn to Lemon Perfect after the company rolled out a brand refresh last year, including an improved formulation which Lee said she believed could win in the market.
“Sometimes the stars align and this opportunity was exactly that,” Lee said in an email today. “The new packaging and liquid are what drew me in. However, the special team at LP is really what sealed the deal.”
Last year, the brand brought on former Mast-Jägermeister US chief executive Jeff Popkin as CEO, taking over from founder Yanni Hufnagel, who transitioned to the role of executive chairman.
“Yanni’s passion and vision is unlike any I have ever seen,” Lee continued. “Jeff Popkin’s disciplined approach, impressive track record and leadership is a dream to be a part of. But the real excitement comes from working again with [SVP Field Sales & Distribution] Brian Arkus. He has assembled a best-in-class sales organization that is dominating in the field.”
“Mari is a force,” Popkin said in a press release. “Her ability to build brands that shape culture and convert at scale is second to none. She brings the perfect mix of creative vision, commercial rigor, and consumer instinct that will take Lemon Perfect from a disruptive challenger to a household name.”
Prior to Nutrabolt, Lee has also served as CMO of High Brew Coffee and led field marketing efforts at KIND and at Vitaminwater maker Glaceau over the course of a 25+ year career.
Lee joins Lemon Perfect as the brand works to scale its business and increase mainstream awareness through innovation and promotion.
In addition to Lee, Lemon Perfect has also brought on new VP of Strategy Laura-Lynn Freck. Freck comes to the business from Zevia, where she spent three years as VP of Business Insights and Category Leadership, and previously spent close to a decade at Red Bull in various roles.
Freck will work to improve the brand’s execution in retail and online.
Perfect Hydration Promotes Jared Smith to President
After eight years with the brand, Jared Smith has been promoted to President of alkaline water brand Perfect Hydration.
In an email, Smith said the move is part of a larger internal team expansion that included the promotion of nine employees to new roles in a strategy intended to create “better alignment to meet the needs of the overall company and support our growth trajectory.”
Smith joined Perfect Hydration, a subsidiary of Golden West Food Group, in 2017 as VP of business development and since March 2024 had been serving as EVP, Commercial & Business Development.
According to Smith, the company’s current VP of national accounts Greg Ritter will move into the position of VP of sales, taking over for some of Smith’s responsibilities in his past role with a focus on managing growth in retail accounts.
“Rather [than] solely focusing on sales, I’ll be focused on optimizing day-to-day company operations, new channel development, continuing to build our team, and expanding our marketing efforts,” Smith said. “We are also investing in tools to streamline data flow, manage trade spend, and bring more visibility to the intel our field sales team brings in.”
The key goals moving forward, Smith added, are to focus on keeping product in stock and “closing all voids in current accounts.”
Perfect Hydration’s gallon bottle product has seen sales rise 23% to over 25,000 retailers nationwide, he said, while distribution of 1.5 L bottles are up 107%. As well, he said the business is “in the middle” of a national roll out for its 1 L and 1.5 L bottles at 2,200 Albertsons banners, including Safeway, along with an upcoming launch in a “big” retailer in Texas.
“We’ll also be putting more resources into the convenience channel, which is a huge opportunity for the brand,” he said. “We also have a higher percentage of unique shoppers than any other competing brand, so we’re continuing to bring new users into the brand and category with increased marketing through 2025 and beyond.”
NextFoods Names Seguin as CEO
NextFoods, the parent company of Cheribundi and GoodBelly, has named Marc Seguin as its CEO, effective immediately.
Seguin previously served as CEO of Caulipower from 2022 to 2024 and comes to NextFoods from his most recent position as Chief Sales Officer of Pressed Juicery. He’s also held a number of executive positions at CPG brands over a more than two-decade long career, including marketing, revenue and sales leadership positions at brands including GT’s Living Foods, Popchips and PLUS.
He assumes the role from Marcel Bens, who will remain with the business as chairman of the board and as CEO of NextFoods majority shareholder ECP Growth.
Last fall, NextFoods expanded its executive team with the appointment of CMO Leila Rafferty and CFO Mark Borden.
“Marc brings a wealth of experience in scaling brands, driving operational excellence, and building high-performing teams,” said Bens in a release. “We couldn’t be more thrilled for him to lead NextFoods into their next phase of pivotal growth.”
“With the wellness market on pace to hit $9 Trillion, NextFoods has an incredible opportunity to continue to bring innovation and drive authority to whole-body health,” Seguin said in the release. “I look forward to working with the team and making our portfolio brands synonymous with the future of functional wellness.”
Lucky Energy Nets Former AriZona Exec Fabiano
Former AriZona chief sales officer Lou Fabiano is testing his luck in a new role, joining startup energy drink brand Lucky Energy as President.
Fabiano will report directly to founder and CEO Richard Laver and is responsible for overseeing “essential functions that drive velocity,” the company said in a press release.
“We are witnessing a significant shift in the industry as consumers increasingly seek beverages that taste good and contain cleaner ingredient lists,” Fabiano said in a statement. “Lucky Energy is at the forefront of this movement, offering delicious products with minimal ingredients. Couple that with an authentic story and masterful storytelling, and you have a brand anyone would jump to join.”
Fabiano noted that his “vast network of partners” will be a benefit for the startup brand, which launched in 2023 under the more provocative name Lucky F*ck.
Earlier this month, the brand reported that it had raised new capital in the “mid-six-figures” from InvestBev Group, adding to the $14.2 million raise it reported in March.
More Moves from Across the Industry:
- Jordan Shulman, a CPG sales leader with past roles at Goodles, DRNXMYTH and Remedy Drinks, has landed in his next position as senior director of sales at functional beverage brand Magic Mind.
- Canadian bottled water maker Flow Beverage Corp. announced this month that CFO and EVP of Operations Trent MacDonald has stepped down from his role. This week, Paul Dowdall was appointed to the CFO position.
- The Industry Collective founder and CEO Taylor Foxman has joined seed stage fund Sandbox Studios as a venture partner. Sandbox will be focused “exclusively on investing in consumer brands founded or backed by A-list celebrities,” Foxman wrote on LinkedIn.
- Charles Gibb has been named CEO of WhistlePig Whiskey, joining the distiller after a nearly eight-year tenure as CEO of Fever-Tree USA.