GREENWICH, CONN. — Doug Gillespie has been named president and chief executive officer of Harvest Hill Beverage Co., a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners VII L.P. Harvest Hill Beverage has grown into one of the largest independently owned beverage companies in the United States with brands such as Juicy Juice, Little Hug and Daily’s.
Mr. Gillespie most recently was president of Jarden Home and Family North America. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions at consumer packaged goods companies, including Frito-Lay, Brown-Forman and Munchkin.
“Doug brings the senior management experience and leadership qualities that will enable us to maximize the Harvest Hill opportunity,” said Henk Hartong, chairman and c.e.o. of Brynwood Partners. “Doug has an impressive record of growing businesses with a focus on innovation and marketing in the very consumer segments and customer channels that are important to Harvest Hill.”
Harvest Hill was formed when Brynwood Partners acquired the Juicy Juice brand from Nestle USA in the summer of 2014. Brynwood added to the Harvest portfolio when it acquired American Beverage Corp. for $55 million in March 2015. American Beverage manufactures fruit drinks, ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic cocktail mixers. The company’s brands include Little Hug Fruit Barrels, Big Hug and Guzzler.
Following the acquisition of American Beverage Corp. a year ago, Harvest Hill has launched a variety of new products and flavors to revitalize the Little Hug and Daily’s product lines.
“Harvest Hill is a leading player with iconic brands in multiple beverage segments, providing a wealth of growth opportunities for the company,” said Mr. Gillespie, who will be based at the Harvest Hill headquarters in Stamford, Conn. “The team has already created significant marketplace momentum that we can use to take the business to the next level.”
