BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barfresh Food Group, Inc. (OTCQB:BRFH), a manufacturer of frozen, ready-to-blend beverages, today announced the appointment of Joseph Cugine as President and Sarah Grover as Chief Brand and Strategy Officer.
"Mr. Cugine's and Ms. Grover's extensive restaurant industry, culinary, beverage and consumer packaged goods experience will provide us with added depth of expertise as we continue to execute our strategy and expand our footprint. We are very excited to welcome them to the team," said Mr. Delle Coste. "As President, Mr. Cugine will draw on over 25 years of leadership experience at PepsiCo and Procter and Gamble, most recently as President of Argo Tea, an all natural tea cafe and consumer packaged goods company based in Chicago. Ms. Grover also brings over 24 years of brand strategy, marketing, and operational experience as a senior executive at California Pizza Kitchen."
"I am very pleased to be joining the Barfresh team during this exciting phase of the Company's lifecycle," said Mr. Cugine. "The rapid rollout of the Barfresh product line, exciting new distribution partnerships and increasing consumer demand for smoothies attracted me to this unique opportunity and I am eager to execute the Company's growth strategy and plan going forward."
"The market for Barfresh's products continues to grow, and I am excited to help drive the Company's growth and market share through innovative marketing programs and strategies," continued Ms. Grover. "We are encouraged by the success of the marketing and distribution strategy to date, and hope to build on its success to continue to grow the Barfresh footprint."
Prior to joining Argo Tea, Mr. Cugine served as Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President of PepsiCo's Foodservice Division. In this role, Mr. Cugine was responsible for driving the strategy of the $3.5 billion Pepsi, Frito Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker businesses in the United States. He played a pivotal role in driving strategy and culture while growing volume and profits double digits. Mr. Cugine also held a series of general management and sales leadership roles throughout PepsiCo, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pepsi Foodservice, Senior Vice President of National Foodservice Sales and Vice President of Beverage Development for YUM Brands. He has also served as General Manager of Pepsi's Philadelphia and New Jersey markets. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mr. Cugine spent several years with Procter and Gamble in various sales management roles. Mr. Cugine sits on the Board of Directors of the Chefs' Warehouse (Nasdaq:CHEF), Argo Tea and R4 Technologies. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph's University.
Ms. Grover was previously the Executive Vice President and Chief Concept Officer at California Pizza Kitchen, where she was the most tenured executive and responsible for all aspects of marketing and culinary business operations. While at CPK, Ms. Grover held several senior leadership positions in which she was responsible for company brand development, strategic turnaround initiatives and licensing partnerships. Ms. Grover was also responsible for CPK's corporate communications and public relations. Prior to joining CPK, she served as Director of Marketing for the Music Center of Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Ms. Grover is a member of the UCLA Extension Dean's Advisory Board, the UCLA Extension Restaurant Conference Board of Advisors, and former CO-Chair of the National Restaurant Association's Marketing Executive Group, She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from DePauw University.
About Barfresh Food Group
Barfresh Food Group, Inc. (OTCQB:BRFH) is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of ready-to-blend beverages, including smoothies, shakes and frappes, primarily for restaurant chains in the quick serve restaurant and casual dining sectors. The company's proprietary, U.S. patent-pending system uses portion-controlled pre-packaged beverage ingredients that deliver freshly made smoothies that are quick, cost efficient and without waste. For more information, please visit www.barfresh.com/us.
Forward Looking Statements
Except for historical information herein, matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the Company's commercial progress and future financial performance. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as "grow", "expand", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "should", "hypothetical", "potential", "forecast" and "project", among others. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in the press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions made based on experience, expected future developments and other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and may not materialize. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance. The contents of this release should be considered in conjunction with the warnings, risk factors and cautionary statements contained in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10K and Quarterly Report on Form 10Q. Furthermore, the Company does not intend, and is not obligated, to update publicly any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.