COTTONWOOD, Az. — WILD TONIC Jun Kombucha, a leader in the better-for-you beverage category, is thrilled to announce two female powerhouse leaders have officially joined the female-founded brand, established in 2015 by artist Holly Lyman. On the heels of Women’s History Month, Jenn Vervier has been appointed to a dual role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Vice President of Sales will be held by Michelle Schmidt.
The WILD TONIC® story begins with an artist and her passion for innovation and creativity. Painter, Holly Lyman, worked with beeswax, an ancient technique known as encaustic, for many years until she discovered the art of fermentation. One day, her love of painting with beeswax transformed into working with honey, another labor of love created by the bees. As with many creative endeavors that sometimes spill into other forms of expression, Holly unexpectedly found herself fascinated with a rare ferment known as Jun. She brewed with this living culture day after day until several years and many experiments later, WILD TONIC® Jun Kombucha was born.
Jenn Vervier, CEO + CFO, comes to Wild Tonic with over 25 years’ experience in the craft brewing industry. Her background includes conceptualization and implementation of top-level growth strategies and simultaneous budget management for bottom line profit, while also overseeing development projects and a diverse group of coworkers. At New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she started on the bottling line during graduate school, Jenn served as CFO, COO, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Director of Strategic Projects, and even a stint as Interim VP of Marketing. After leaving New Belgium, Jenn took on the role of CEO at Persephone, a small, farm-based brewery in British Columbia.
When Jenn started at New Belgium, there were 14 co-workers and sales of 7,000 barrels of beer in three states. As a member of the Board and the executive leadership team, Jenn helped grow the company to the 4th largest craft brewer in the country with more than 700 co-workers and 900,000 barrels in sales. Jenn is known as an achiever in the areas of communications, finance, operations, people development, business development, and project management, with a proven ability to provide strategic vision and framework to a fast-growing company. She has a 17-year old son, a19-year old daughter, and two herding dogs.
“After 26 years in the craft brewing industry, I’m so excited to bring to WILD TONIC my experience and passion for taking entrepreneurial teams to the next level. Less than 48 hours after talking to Holly Lyman, our founder and sole owner, on the phone for the first time, I was on a plane heading to Sedona, and I haven’t looked back!” — Jenn Vervier, Wild Tonic CEO + CFO
Michelle Schmidt, VP of Sales, has over 18 years experience in sales & marketing and a passion for delivering high-quality products into the hands of the consumer. Michelle has held increasingly responsible positions in well-recognized companies such as Campbell’s, Brew Dr. Kombucha, Nuun & Co., The Ginger People, and Essentia Water. Her combination of experience and skill set in both sales and marketing have served to broaden her understanding of and deepen her expertise in go-to-market strategies and tactics in the natural food and beverage industry, specifically the FMCG. Michelle has built valuable buyer, broker, and distributor relationships nationally, and in Canada. She attributes her track record of leading successful sales teams to the level of commitment and integrity she shows to every customer, buyer, & team member, large or small, and lives by the motto that Attitude Truly is Everything.
“I’m honored to join the amazing team at Wild Tonic Kombucha and look forward to sharing our one-of-a-kind Jun Kombucha with everyone.” — Michelle Schmidt, Wild Tonic VP of NA Sales
WILD TONIC® Jun Kombucha offers a refreshing honey influenced taste unlike any other Kombucha beverage! WILD TONIC not only keeps you hydrated but is also rich in probiotics and antioxidants, making the bubbly fermented beverage a fan-favorite. Jun Kombucha has been growing in popularity over the last few years, but many are unfamiliar with Jun, which is a cousin of traditional Kombucha, and classified as champagne of kombucha.
What sets WILD TONIC Jun apart from other kombucha on the market is it is crafted primarily with honey instead of cane sugar which produces a refreshing, delicate result, absent of a ‘vinegar’ bite common in traditional Kombucha. The initial brew of sustainably sourced tea and honey is infused with organic fruits, herbs and botanicals to create the signature smooth taste. The beverage boasts prebiotics, probiotics, amino acids and antioxidants, without any artificial flavorings or sulfites.
WILD TONIC offers classic non-alc and Hard Jun Kombucha in 16oz signature cobalt blue bottles and 12oz slim cans, ranging from $2.99-$3.99, and Hard Jun Kombucha in bottles and cans (singles and four packs) ranging from $3.99-$11.99. Available for purchase nationwide in retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Total Wine, Natural Grocers and Erewhon along with other natural and conventional grocers. Now available online through WILD TONIC’s ecommerce store www.wildtonic.com/store are non-alc 12/12 oz cans for $29.99, Hard Kombucha 8/12oz cans for $29.99. Non-alc is available to ship nationwide, Hard kombucha is available for Ecomm purchase in Arizona only. Non- Alc flavors include Raspberry Goji Rose, Blueberry Basil, Mango Ginger, Blackberry Mint, Lavender Love, Tropical Turmeric, Rosemary Lemon and Hard Kombucha is available in Strawberry Blood Orange, Raspberry Goji Rose, Blueberry Basil, and Mango Ginger flavors. Visit the brand online at www.wildtonic.com and follow on social media @drinkwildtonic