People Moves: Laird Names New COO and SVP of Sales; Coconut Secret Appoints New CEO
Laird Superfood Names First COO, Andy Judd and Brings in Daryl Moore as SVP of Sales
Plant-based food and beverage company Laird Superfood announced it has added a new role to its executive lineup, naming Andy Judd as the company’s first COO last week. The appointment follows a string of executive hires including Daryl Moore as SVP of Sales last month and Jason Vieth as CEO earlier this year.
Judd comes to Laird with extensive CMO experience at companies like Yasso and ONE Brands and will unite previously separate teams including marketing, e-commerce, retail sales, consumer experience and R&D, under his leadership. Judd said his experience with fast-growing businesses has enabled him to “prioritize new vectors of growth while immediately optimizing current endeavors.”
“This is both a recognition of the requirements to be successful in the evolving omni-channel environment consumers are shopping today and a need to provide a more strategic agenda across all our demand generating resources,” said Judd. “We have great confidence that to truly enable the Laird Superfood mission of fueling consumers from sunrise to sunset with great-tasting plant-based products it can be enhanced by upgrading our go-to-market model.”
Moore will also be working to support that model as the Laird looks to ramp up its wholesale presence. As SVP of Sales, Moore has a stated goal of “strategic and aggressive growth” via national expansion in all wholesale channels. He comes to Laird with over 30 years of experience having held leadership positions at Starbucks Coffee Company, Bulletproof Nutrition, La Brea Bakery/ARYZTA and Performance Kitchen.
“My passion for brands that are steadfast in their values to do better for consumers, for our planet and for our communities, coupled with this team’s unmatched enthusiasm has the power to be something truly dynamic and unstoppable,” said Moore in a press release.
These new hires follow the resignation of Paul Hodge, the company’s co-founder, CEO and president, last year. In September, Laird will celebrate two years as a public company, a milestone which Vieth hopes will be enhanced by a successful execution of its growth plans. He believes amping up Laird’s presence in wholesale will be an integral part of continuing to generate value for the company’s shareholders and sustain its mission of catering to use-occasions for consumers throughout the day.
“Though we will continue to aggressively build our online business, we still have so much whitespace in the Wholesale channel,” said Vieth. “Expanding our distribution with our retail partners will clearly be one of our top priority areas as that allows for consumers to find Laird Superfood wherever they may shop. We already have proven winners with our coffee and creamer products, and these will remain among our top priorities for expansion.”
Coconut Secret Appoints CPG Veteran Michael Lynch As CEO
Organic plant-based culinary product maker Nutiva and sister brand Coconut Secret announced today it has appointed industry vet Micheal Lynch as its new CEO. Lynch has already assumed day-to-day responsibilities from the company’s former CEO, Steven Naccarato, who will move to the company’s Board of Directors and represent Nutiva for OSC2, a network of values aligned Bay Areas companies.
Lynch comes to the coconut amino maker with over 30 years of industry experience and most recently served as interim CEO of plant-based dairy brand Daiya Foods. He has also held leadership positions at brands including Earth’s Own, Kraft Foods and Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream.
As CEO he aims to expand both Nutiva and Coconut Secret’s retail presence throughout North America in addition to driving the brand forward with new innovative culinary products.
“I’ve always loved Nutiva and believe that our products are at the intersection of several leading consumer trends, including plant-based eating and at-home cooking,” said Lynch in a press release. “I have admiration for Nutiva founder John Roulac, Steven Naccarato, and the entire Nutiva team for building an incredible brand that is so deeply rooted in its mission and values. I’m passionate about building consumer focused, beloved brands and excited to leverage my experiences to establish Nutiva and Coconut Secret as leading organic culinary brands.”
Petit Pot Names Eric Lallart As CEO
Organic French dessert brand Petit Pot has promoted its COO, Eric Lallart, to succeed founder Maxime Pouvreau as CEO.
Lallart, who has been COO for over two years, brings over two decades of leadership experience to his new position; according to his LinkedIn profile, he is aiming to make Petit Pot a “major high-quality desserts brand, while always [being] fun and inspired.” Lallart spent almost a decade in a range of operations roles for Danone Dairy in France and most recently served as VP of Operations for Alter Eco Foods.
Like fellow chilled dessert brands Noops and, most recently, Bon Devil, Petit Pot aims to offer a natural (and more premium) alternative to conventional brands such as Jello and Kozy Shack. The company also added Eugene Lin as CMO and Pierre Jamet as chief sales officer last year.
Lonna Borden Joins Monogram Capital Partners
Former COO of organic confections company Lily’s Sweets, Lonna Borden has taken her food and beverage expertise to Monogram Capital where she now serves as an Operating Advisor. Borden will continue to work with CPG food and beverage companies in addition to serving on the board of better-for-you candy brand Gigantic.
Borden has over a decade of experience in the industry, with a specific focus in finance having started out as CFO of IZZE Beverage company. She also served as CFO of nut butter brand Justin’s for five years.
