The changes at FIFCO USA are continuing into the new year, as the company parted ways with Josh Halpern, who had served as chief sales officer over the last three years.
“Josh started at FIFCO USA in 2018 and since that time has made valuable contributions to our business,” said Mary Beth Popp, vice president of corporate and brand communications. “With a new CEO, and new company vision and strategy, we decided that it was time for a change. We’re in the process of interviewing candidates.”
Halpern’s last day with the company was Tuesday, January 5. He started at FIFCO after nearly six years at Anheuser-Busch InBev, where he last served as vice president for small format. His departure from FIFCO comes a little under a year after beverage industry veteran Rich Andrews took the helm as CEO of the Costa Rica-headquartered company’s U.S. operations.
Andrews replaced Adrian Lachowski, who went on to become FIFCO’s country manager in Costa Rica in July 2020.
During his time at FIFCO, Halpern brought a showbiz flair to the company’s national sales meetings, which featured skits and celebrity appearances. He shared his philosophy for FIFCO USA — embracing being what he called a “big-small company” — during an edition of the Brewbound Podcast recorded in late 2019. That strategy included forging celebrity partnerships with the host of The Bachelor, Chris Harrison; Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey; and Barstool Sports.
FIFCO’s move away from Halpern also represents another executive change for the company, whose portfolio includes the Labatt, Genesee, Magic Hat, Imperial, Pyramid and Portland Brewing beer brands, as well as Seagram’s and Hemptails.
Two months after Andrews took the helm, the company promoted Piotr Jurjewicz to the role of Chief Marketing Officer. Jurjewicz previously led consumer marketing for FIFCO USA as vice president for the company’s beer portfolio.
In 2020, FIFCO also ended its marketing and distribution agreement with Fun Wine in September and shifted production of Magic Hat products out of Vermont to the Genesee Brew House in Rochester, New York, and vacated its brewery and performing arts center in South Burlington in July. FIFCO also laid off Magic Hat’s 43 Vermont-based employees. FIFCO also permanently closed Pyramid Brewing Co.’s Alehouse in Seattle after more than three decades.
Year-to-date through December 26, 2020, off-premise dollar sales of FIFCO USA products are up +14.5%, although sales have decelerated over the last four weeks to +7.1%, according to market research firm Nielsen. Dollar sales of the Seagram’s FMB line are up 28.7% year-to-date (and +19.5% over the last four weeks), the firm added.