Four stories from Monday and Tuesday: corporate cuts at Kroger, two celebrity co-founders in protein soda, the Poppi founders' next brand, and a sales hire at Tractor Beverage.
Kroger plans to cut about 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years. CEO Greg Foran announced the plan in an internal memo on Monday. Foran wrote that the company has "more layers, more handoffs and more overhead than we need." He said Kroger will use technology to reduce duplicative work. Decisions about affected roles will be communicated starting in the coming months. The cuts support Foran's push to lower prices and compete with Walmart, Costco and Amazon.
Source: Grocery Dive
Proda added Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel as co-founders on Tuesday. The pair will help with creative strategy, flavor innovation and product development. The zero sugar protein soda launched in April and carries 10 grams of whey protein per 12-ounce can. It comes in seven flavors, including Shirley Temple and strawberry lemonade. Co-CEOs Jeff Church, who founded Suja Juice, and Matthew Postlethwaite lead the company, and Barry's executive chairman Joey Gonzalez also joined as a co-founder. The brand sells at Sprouts, on Amazon and through its website, with club and grocery stores next. A Circana report says 48% of adults are actively seeking more protein, up seven points from last year.
Allison and Stephen Ellsworth are preparing a new hydration brand called Jetty. Its trademark is registered as an electrolyte replacement solution. The founders sold Poppi to PepsiCo for $1.95 billion last year.
Source: BevNET
Tractor Beverage Company named Clay Lichterman senior vice president of sales. Lichterman is a former chef who has helped four companies build foodservice channels. He reports to chief revenue officer John Murphy and will focus on growing the organic beverage brand's foodservice business. Tractor made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies for the fifth straight year in 2026.
Source: NOSH