Lowry Heads to Bon Devil to Focus on ‘Proving the Opportunity’

Method Products and Ripple Foods founder Adam Lowry is set to join refrigerated dessert brand Bon Devil as its next general manager, the company announced today.

Bon Devil, previously The Coconut Collaborative, was founded in Europe in 2014 by James Averdieck. The U.S. arm of the business, which launched in 2018, rebranded first to The Collaborative and then earlier this year to Bon Devil, simultaneously also scaling back to focus on its line of ganaches, a richer take on a pudding cup. Because Adverdiek is based in the U.K. and focuses on the European market, the company sought a separate CEO based stateside.

Lowry will take over from interim general manager Tom O’Rourke, who, like Lowry, is an operating advisor for venture firm PowerPlant Partners and an investor in Bon Devil. O’Rouke took on the role after the company’s last U.S. CEO, former Sabra executive Meiky Tollman, departed in 2021. While Lowry said his role is also technically an “interim” GM, no end date has been discussed.

“Tom is a growth guy, and he’s amazing, while I’m very much a very early stage guy…I love those very early stages where you literally are nothing and you’re trying to build something out of nothing,” Lowry said of the move. “Both because of some of the things that Tom was doing personally, as well as just skill set fit, it just made sense for me to kind of sub in for him from an operating advisors standpoint.”

Lowry said that Bon Devil’s board of advisors, global executive team and investors have tasked him with developing and executing a strategy to prove the size of the opportunity in premium refrigerated desserts. The company will then turn its attention towards further building the existing five person team, capital structure and supply chain.

“It’s really about building, identifying and proving the opportunity space, and then starting to build all of the infrastructure that the business needs,” he said. “We are 100% focused on the premium refrigerated desserts category…and now, it’s about making the most of that opportunity.”

Lowry admitted that the chilled dessert set can be challenging from a production, distribution and merchandising point of view, but said he believes that the brand’s unique packaging, point of differentiation and taste will help Bon Devil succeed.

One of the biggest challenges, he said, is the lack of consistency with how natural retail chains merchandise chilled desserts, which are often bounced between the dairy case or bakery department. That makes it more difficult for consumers, but it also means that retail buyers for the category often see it as an “afterthought.” Although there is an established set in conventional and mass retailers, it’s largely filled with low cost, conventional products and is an area that the more premium or natural shopper currently bypasses entirely, he added.

“You need to prove yourself really clearly in order to just kind of get the attention that you need from buyers and customers in this space,” Lowry said. “[The category’s assortment] is kind of a dog’s breakfast, honestly…And so for us, that’s something to think about…[so] we don’t get lost in the confusion.”

Within natural, leading players include french pudding brand Petit Pot — which is rolling out new branding this week — Milk Bar’s chilled cake truffles and, until earlier this summer, Noops. The latter better-for-you pudding brand, however, formally announced earlier this week that it had ceased operations.

While under The Collaborative and Coconut Collaborative brands, Bon Devil had a much wider assortment of products including plant-based yogurts, cakes and rice puddings. The company scaled that back to its ganaches, but Lowry hinted that further expansion into refrigerated, frozen or shelf-stable sweet indulgence products might yet again be in the works. Along with that, Lowry also noted there will be more branding changes as well as a format change that will bring “more value to the consumer.”

“In a category that is as disjointed as the premium refrigerator desserts set is, it’s important that every brand within this set is playing a really important and strategic role for customers and retailers,” Lowry said. “[If] consumers love us, and customers love us..then we’ve got a much better chance of achieving our aspirations.”