Death Wish Coffee Co. has announced the appointment of Steve Gardiner as its new chief executive officer, according to a release from the organic and fair-trade coffee brand.
Gardiner brings more than three decades of food and beverage industry experience to the role, particularly focused on sales and CPG knowledge that is expected to help Death Wish in its next phase of growth. Most recently, Gardiner was CEO of Nature’s Bakery, where he oversaw the brand’s rapid advancement into a top snack bar brand.
Prior to his time at Nature’s Bakery, he spent 24 years at PepsiCo, where he boosted customer engagement and drove growth for the Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade brands, the announcement said.
Mike Brown, the founder of Death Wish Coffee, said Gardiner’s appointment to the CEO post was critical to accelerating the company’s velocity.
“Steve’s strategic vision will be extremely valuable as we continue to grow our national footprint and introduce a steady pipeline of innovation to our dedicated community of coffee lovers and new fans,” he added. Death Wish Coffee can be found today in more than 25,000 stores nationwide.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.