Colorado-based Hoplark has appointed former DRY Soda president and CMO Betsy Frost as the company’s new chief commercial officer.
Frost joins Hoplark as the hop-infused, non-alcoholic beverage maker has begun expanding into new product types beyond its flagship sparkling waters and teas; in January, it launched Hoplark 0.0, a zero-calorie, zero-proof craft brew line intended to compete with non-alcoholic beer. Hoplark now has 60 employees and has seen revenues “jump 14 times” since the start of the pandemic, the company stated in a press release.
According to the release, Frost will be “a true asset by leading her marketing and sales teams to bolster retail acceleration across the brand’s product portfolio and implement a long-term growth vision for the young brand.”
Frost, a graduate of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, was at DRY Soda (now DRY Botanical Bubbly) from 2019 to 2021, during which time she served as the sparkling beverage company’s CMO, CRO and eventually President. Along with a long tenure across various marketing roles at General Mills, she has also served as strategic advisor to Maazah Chutney and as a mentor at CPG accelerator SKU.
“I’ve known and admired Betsy for her success in the non-alcoholic beverage space. We love Betsy’s passion for reinventing how people drink and see non-alcoholic drinks. She is always brainstorming ideas to give everyone something to connect with,” said Hoplark CEO and co-founder Dean Eberhardt in the release. “Hoplark is running in full gear with product innovation, bi-monthly limited-edition releases, and expanding our retail channels. We couldn’t be prouder to welcome Betsy along with her fresh energy and focus to the team.”
Frost answered questions about her new role via email.
What attracted you about the opportunity to work with Hoplark?
I’ve always had a passion for entrepreneurial businesses that are dynamic and growth-oriented and Hoplark fits that bill. The products are extremely remarkable and unique and the consumer passion behind it really stuck out to me. I’m excited by the acceleration of the brand and to bring more energy and focus to it so that we can continue the momentum in a strategic way.
What are some of the brand’s distribution goals for this year?
We launched Hoplark 0.0 a non-alcoholic dry hopped brew in January and are building out distribution in beer sets core craft beer markets and activating the line with our amazing distributors. We are also focused on driving everyday consumption and discovery on our HopTea and Sparkling Water lines in the natural channel. While consumers often find Hoplark as a social beer replacement, we know that our products become a part of the everyday routine. The goal is to win trial with those looking for a beer replacement with our incredible hop profiles and then become part of the everyday shopping routine.
How is the brand looking at product innovation in the near-term?
We’re strongly encouraged by the response to our new Hoplark 0.0 line of non-alcoholic craft brews. We’re focused on our three product lines at the moment (Hoplark Hop Water, Hoplark HopTea, and Hoplark 0.0) and building distribution and consumer awareness behind those. HopTea has really been the fuel to our growth engine so over time you can anticipate more product innovation in that space. We’re also listening to our customers on what they want out of the Hoplark 0.0 product. While that line is new, I’m excited about the additional possibilities in the non-alcoholic craft brew arena.