Darin
Ezra - CEO Darin
Ezra has over a decade of experience in the Packaged Consumer Products
industry. Darin started his career in this industry
when he founded SunWorld International (SunWorld), a company that
specialized in the import and distribution of packaged consumer products.
SunWorld first acquired the import and distribution rights for top
selling U.S. brands in Southern Africa. These brands included
Celestial Seasonings (the top selling herbal tea in the U.S. ,
then and today),Ice Drops (one of the Top 10 selling breath fresheners
in the U.S. at that time) and Energy Now (the top selling energy
tablet in the U.S. for many years).
After two years of operating
and growing the company, Darin handed the management of SunWorld’s
brands to IS Distributors (IS). IS was the agent for The Dial
Soap Company and Freeman Cosmetics in Southern Africa at the time. IS
ran SunWorld’s brands on a royalty basis for some time. Darin
later sold his interest in SunWorld to IS in order to relocate
his business to the United States.
Upon relocation to the U.S.,
Darin formed Big Brands which manufactured and distributed consumer
packaged products – in
30 U.S. states as well as exported them. At Big Brands, Darin
was responsible for all development, marketing, and operations of
the business. After two years of successfully running the company,
Darin sold his interest in Big Brands. Today, Big Brands
sells its products across the U.S. and exports to various foreign
countries. After the sale of Big Brands, Darin went on to launch
several successful beverage brands including Go Girl energy drink,
which was recently acquired by a major manufacturer of Coca Cola
products and distributor of Anheuser-Busch products.
As
well as his role as CEO of Power Brands Darin has expanded
his management responsibilities to Europe where he heads
up a division of an international beverage company that manufactures
beverage components and finished products in the
EU as well as the UK.
Martin
Molina - COO Martin
manages all strategic marketing efforts for Power Brands. Martin
brings over 14 years of food & beverage marketing experience with industry powerhouses such as Nestle USA and Pepsi. Martin began his CPG career as a research analyst with A.C. Nielsen before joining Nestle USA and progressing through brand management ranks on brands including Nestle Sweet Success, Nestle Carnation Baby Formula and Nestle Carnation Baby Cereal. Martin’s
beverage experience includes over four years of channel marketing
experience within the Pepsi Cola system. Most recently, Martin led
the strategic marketing efforts for Light Force Water Source, a start-up
incubator for new energy drink brands and has led operations at Power
Brands since its inception in 2006.
Marty
Brown – President Marty
has spent 8 years as the Western Region Sales Manager for Rexam
Beverage Can Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum beverage cans. The total annual sales volume he managed in this region exceeded 6 Billion cans and ends, worth over $500 million. While at Rexam, Marty was instrumental in launching Rexam’s SLEEK™ line of cans in America, and brought in over 20 new customers into this package. Additionally, he sold Hansen’s Beverage Company on putting their Monster™ Energy Drink into Rexam’s new 24oz Cap Can™, the first re-sealable aluminum beverage can in America. Previously, Marty held various management positions for over 16 years at Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s largest consumer products company. At P&G, Marty gained experience in both the retail consumer products industry and the Foodservice and Lodging industry. His customer’s
included Lucky Supermarkets (American Stores), Safeway, Fleming,
International Dairy Queen, and the PepsiCo Restaurant Division
(Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken). Marty spent
almost 6 years in the US Army, rising to the rank of Captain
in the Air Defense Artillery branch. He has an undergraduate
degree from Wake Forest University and an M.B.A. Degree from
the University of California, Irvine.
Niyati
Parikh - Beverage Scientist – With
a Masters in Food Science and Technology from the University of
New South Wales, Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from St. Xavier’s College, India, Niyati brings exceptional academic credentials to the Power Brands Food Science division. Niyati’s
extensive knowledge of beverage processing, preservatives, extracts,
flavors, coloring, and natural and organic ingredients, allows
her to provide expert guidance to clients and develop exceptional
formulations in the lab.
Joseph O'Dea - Beverage Scientist – Joseph
brings over six years of experience in the flavor and beverage
development industry. Graduating from Elon University he went
directly into the flavor industry at Flavor Producers Incorporated.
In his five years working on flavor development he became familiar
with all aspects of flavor creation. He has formulated hundreds
of flavor prototypes for a diverse range of products. His flavors
can be seen in many commercial food and beverage products. Now
he is proud to produce superior tasting beverages on behalf of
Power Brands clients for any application or market.
Michele
Rae - Project Manager - Michele brings over 12 years of consumer packaged goods experience to the Power Brands team, most recently in the Natural Skin Care industry. Michele's team leadership experience spans functional areas such as New Product Development, Purchasing, Research and Development, and Quality Control. Michele's responsibilities also included the launch of numerous new product introductions utilizing the most innovative and cutting edge ingredients.
Peichi Lu - Project Manager With dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Food Science and Nutrition Dietetics from California State University, Northridge, Peichi brings significant academic credentials to the Power Brands team. She worked in Quality Assurance, Microbial Testing, and Beverage Development for three years with Flavor Producers and Power Brands. She now serves as Project Manager on the Power Brands team, guiding clients through the beverage formulation process and providing expertise in beverage packaging, manufacturing, ingredients, and labeling. Peichi has excellent customer service skills and is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and English.
Andrew
Gibbs - Creative Director, Andrew
brings a wealth of creativity as well as significant brand packaging
design experience to the Power Brands design team. Andrew is the
Founder & Editor in Chief of TheDieline.com, the world's leading
package design website. The Dieline quickly established itself as
a major influence in the package design field and is the go-to website
for the latest trends and designs. Andrew's first book on packaging
design will be released early next year internationally. Andrew studied
graphic design at the Art Institute of California.
Araceli Rosales - Graphic Designer Araceli received her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of California-Orange County and has worked in graphic design for non-profit organizations such as Women Helping Women and consumer goods packaging, including private label brands for national accounts such as Target USA, Target Australia, Wal-Mart USA, and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Araceli is an extremely creative designer with great people skills and she is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Jen Saldivar - Lab Technician Jen is one of Power Brands top Lab Technicians with over two years experience. Jen began her career at Power Brands and has shown great skill in lab work, including recipe development, prototype development, and batching calculations. Her dedication has allowed Power Brands to add faster prototype production to its many other features.
READ
OUR BEVERAGE INDUSTRY ARTICLE - CLICK HERE!
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