Former Stone Brewing CEO Maria Stipp has been named CEO of Suja Life, the parent company to Suja Organics and Vive Organics, effective February 20, the company announced today.
Current chief executive, Bob DeBorde, will retire and shift into the role of chairman of the board. Existing board chairman Randy Papadellis will transition into the role of vice chairman.
Stipp announced her departure from Stone Brewing last month, with CFO Zachary Keeling stepping in as interim CEO. She joined the Escondido, California-based craft brewery in September 2020 following the departure of her predecessor Dominic Engels earlier that summer.
Stipp steered Stone, the seventh-largest independent craft brewery in the country by volume at the time, through the process of being acquired by Japanese brewing giant Sapporo, a deal that was announced in June 2022 and closed in August 2022.
Before joining Stone, Stipp spent five years at the helm of Lagunitas – another American craft brewery she shepherded to global acquisition. At Lagunitas, Stipp was the brewery’s first CEO, working in tandem with founder Tony Magee, her “fourth consecutive founder working relationship,” according to the bio shared by Stone at the time of her hiring.
“I am thrilled to lead Suja Life’s next phase of growth,” Stipp said in a press release. “Throughout my tenure in the beverage industry, I have seen a dramatic shift in consumer trends toward better-for-you alternatives. Suja Life is well-suited to capitalize on this trend, and I look forward to further developing our exciting initiatives to achieve this.”
“I am thrilled to pass the baton to Maria and am confident in her ability to lead the company in its next stage of expansion,” DeBorde added in the release.
In 2021, Suja Life was acquired by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners and by 2022, purchased cold-pressed juice shot maker Vive Organics. That deal allowed the juice and shot maker to capitalize on operational, marketing and sales synergies; enjoy the benefits of scale and extend innovation capabilities through its shared portfolio.
“Since we initiated our partnership with Suja Life, its momentum has been nothing short of impressive,” said Kevin Schwartz, CEO of Paine Schwartz Partners, in a press release. “We are grateful for Bob’s contributions to the company’s development. As we set our sights on strategic and sustainable growth, Maria brings a level of innovation and expertise that will unlock new opportunities for Suja Life.”
The company kicked off the year by launching a three-SKU line of organic plant-based protein shakes in 16 oz. bottles.