Good Beer Hunting Parent Company Feel Goods Taps Ryan Burk as Co-Founder
Ryan Burk has joined Feel Goods Company, parent company of Good Beer Hunting, as co-founder following his departure from Boston Beer last month.
At Feel Goods, a marketing and innovation studio focusing on beverages, Burk will work alongside co-founder Michael Kiser to create programming for new clients and work on brand development for existing ones.
“I’ve become increasingly focused on speed and new audience development through beverage innovation,” Burk said in a press release. “At Feel Goods Company, I’ll be working alongside a strong team that has launched some of my favorite new products over the last years that are doing just that.
“I’m dedicated to helping clients expand and accelerate their new product pipeline, while further exploring my passion of bringing new beverage concepts to the market,” he continued.
Burk exited Boston Beer on April 30, where he had served as head cidermarker for the company’s Angry Orchard brand for more than seven years. His most recent title was senior manager of ideas and partnerships; in that role, his scope expanded beyond cider to include developing growth opportunities for Truly Hard Seltzer and other innovation projects.
In his work on Angry Orchard, Burk oversaw the development of the brand’s Rosé, “one of the top innovations in the industry in 2018,” Boston Beer VP of brewing and quality David Grinnell wrote in a memo about Burk’s departure.
Kiser called Burk’s hiring “a game-changer for our clients and the in-house brands we’re currently developing.”
“With Ryan’s beverage development experience in both start-ups and on a platform as
large as Boston Beer’s, we’ll be able to continue pursuing our mission to create
beverage brands with feeling,” he said in the release. “Ryan and I have years of creative collaboration between us already, and now we get to do it in a focused and ambitious way together.”
Feel Goods’ client roster includes New Belgium, Dewar’s Whisky and S. Martinelli & Co., as well as craft breweries East Brother, Cinderlands and Cruz Blanca. The studio also works with clients outside the beverage-alcohol space, such as cannabis firm Canopy Growth and Metric Coffee, according to its website.
AleSmith Promotes Joshua Boggs to VP of Sales
San Diego’s AleSmith Brewing has promoted Joshua Boggs to vice president of sales. Boggs led AleSmith’s sales outside of California for the last 10 months prior to his promotion.
He will be tasked with helping AleSmith manage its “distribution footprint nationally, internationally, and with their primary partner Reyes in California,” according to a statement from AleSmith president Brandon Richards.
“Joshua brings years of experience in sales and marketing from large scale breweries and we’re excited to add him to our executive team,” Richards added. “His experience, dedication, and leadership will make a positive impact among our team and take us to the next level for growth in distribution.”
Boggs’ resume includes a decade of beer industry sales experience, including with Golden Eagle of Arkansas as high end on-premise supervisor, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company as director of sales and marketing, and Founders Brewing as regional market manager.
Provi Hires David Wojnar as Senior VP of Government Affairs
E-commerce beverage-alcohol marketplace Provi has hired David Wojnar as senior vice president of government affairs.
Wojnar spent more than two decades at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), where he last served as head of state public policy. At DISCUS, Wojnar led the trade group’s policy work “including tax increase defense and removing antiquated blue laws,” including the expansion of Sunday sales in the northeast, the company said in a press release.
In his new role, Wojnar will be tasked with “developing and executing advocacy strategies for Provi’s corporate endeavors, including implementing and directing state and federal affairs programs,” the company added in the release.
“Provi provides a critical need and service for bars and retailers across the country and has a great story to tell,” Wojnar said in the release. “I am really impressed by their leadership team, their product and the path that they are on. I look forward to learning from some of the brightest minds in the e-commerce space and helping Provi tell its story to industry partners, legislators and regulators across the country.”
“There is no better person to lead our new division,” Provi founder and CEO Taylor Katzman added. “As we continue to expand our marketplace nationally, David’s 20 years of experience and knowledge will be invaluable.”
In late March, Provi made headlines for filing a lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits and Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) – the country’s two largest wine and spirits distributors – alleging that the companies have unlawfully stifled the growth of its platform by working “together and individually to boycott, disparage and tortiously interfere with Provi’s business.”
Downeast Adds New Sales and Marketing VPs
Boston-headquartered Downeast Cider House added Danielle Padula as VP of sales strategy and Dena Kowaloff as VP of marketing earlier this month.
“Hiring is the most important thing we do as a business,” COO Max Keilson wrote in a LinkedIn announcement about the new team members. “Continuing to build a strong team is critical to our success.”
Padula joined Downeast after more than six years at global food company Danone, where her most recent title was senior customer business manager for Kroger, a job she held from March 2021-April 2022, according to her LinkedIn profile. Prior to working on Danon’s Kroger business, Padula worked on the company’s strategy and insights, trade marketing and portfolio strategy and planning teams.
Prior to joining Downeast, Kowaloff served as senior director of marketing for SharkNinja’s motorized appliances, including blenders, food processors, juicers and ice cream makers, a role she held for more than two years, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before that, Kowaloff spent more than eight years as director of marketing for Roche Brothers supermarkets, and nearly three years as director of marketing for Ian’s Natural Foods.
In its 11th year, Downeast is targeting 94,000 barrels of output. In addition to its signature unfiltered hard ciders,the brand recently launched a line of spirits-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktails and also makes a hard lemonade.
Mike Tyson’s Cannabis Brand Hires Ex-A-B InBev Exec as CMO
Mike Tyson’s cannabis firm, Tyson 2.0, has hired Jackie (Northacker) Guarini as its chief marketing officer, the company announced last week.
Guarini last served as head of commerce media for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. portfolio. In that role, Guarini “led all commerce media at the portfolio level including shopper marketing, e-commerce and DTC” and “oversaw the U.S. portfolio’s biddable social and programmatic media partnerships including Code3, Yahoo and The Trade Desk,” according to her LinkedIn page.
From January 2019 to February 2021, Guarini served as A-B’s digital media manager for the Michelob Ultra brand family, leading its omnichannel strategy.
“Jackie brings extensive experience building award-winning brands and cultivating mission-aligned partnerships,” Adam Wilks, CEO of Tyson 2.0, said in a press release.
“Mike is a legend and it’s an amazing experience to be able to work with him and in an industry I’m so passionate about,” Guarini added. “His story is inspiring to consumers and fans alike because he found healing through plant-based medicine and hopes to share these benefits through Tyson 2.0 products. Not only are we aiding the body and mind through cannabis, but our whole ethos is built on accessibility. We are in the business of greater wellbeing and that’s extremely powerful.”
Tyson 2.0’s cannabis products are now available in the U.S. in 13 states and Washington, D.C., with Canada to follow in early June. Additional U.S. states are expected to follow later this year.
“Whether it’s Tyson 2.0 Mike Bites, TOAD strains, the Ric Flair Drip collection or future collaborations, we are hyper focused on creating products that meet every consumer’s needs for any occasion,” Guarini said.