Cold press smoothie brand Coldpress has hired former head of marketing for drinks brand Pernod Ricard Roger Harrison as new general manager for the UK.
Harrison’s 23 year- career also includes international sales and marketing director for NJOY Vaping, and UK/European head of sportswear brand Puma. His appointment is expected to drive growth at the cold pressure (HPP) smoothie firm, off the back of 150 per cent year-on-year growth in the category (Kantar Worldpanel).
“I’ve had a very lucky career working with disruptive categories and brands that shape our lifestyle,” he said. “Coldpress is without doubt a lighthouse brand that is highly persuasive in its bid to steer people away from the dangerous rocks of poor nutrition. Through state-of-the-art ‘cold pressure,’ technology has changed the rules of chilled juice by offering a product that is more nutritiously-dense.
“Some people, looking for simple soundbite solutions wants to miscast the category as only veggie/smoothie juices, but cold pressure (HPP) is more all-encompassing than this, offering for the very first time a technology that can be used throughout food and drink, providing a longer shelf life than other technologies.”
The news comes as total soft drinks (of which chilled fruit juice represents a third) witnesses steep decline, following the impact of a more ‘sugar-sensitive’ society. As well as strong yearly growth, the HPP smoothie sector is also attracting a new, younger audience to the wider juice category, with 90 per cent of growth as incremental to total fruit juice.
