PRESTON, Wash. -- Brian Kuz, an experienced beverage-brand builder, has joined Talking Rain Beverage Co., maker of Sparkling Ice, as chief marketing officer, reporting directly to Kevin Klock, president and CEO of Talking Rain.
Kuz joins Talking Rain with more than 30 years of shaping brands, including Red Bull, the Scotts Co., the Coca-Cola Co., Danone Waters of North America, Information Resources Inc. (IRI) and Safeway.
"My experience spans initiatives rooted at the regional, national and global levels and, with that said, I can safely say that beverage trends are the same globally," Kuz said. "Every brand today wants to offer its consumer healthier alternatives, and a leading driver of this trend in the beverage category is the flavored sparkling-water category. ... Sparkling Ice continues to lead the category with its refreshing, zero-calorie sparkling waters, and I'm honored to be joining the team at such an exciting time for the brand and what I also believe to be the tipping point for the beverage industry."
Prior to Sparkling Ice, Kuz held several leadership roles, most recently as the global head of trade marketing and insights for Red Bull GmbH in Austria. Prior to that, Kuz was with the Coca-Cola Co. for five years overseeing category and brand strategy. He also was director of category development at lawn-care-products company the Scotts Co., vice president of client service at IRI and director of inventory management at Safeway earlier in his career.
"The fact that an industry leader like Brian Kuz approached us to join Talking Rain validates our tremendous presence and promise within the beverage space," Klock said. "Kuz brings a wealth of experience in the consumer goods and beverage industries, which will serve us well as our brand continues its accelerated growth internationally. He will be instrumental in driving our brand identity while taking Talking Rain to the next level to becoming a global industry-leading company."
In his new role, Kuz will be responsible for overseeing marketing initiatives and developing areas within the company such as channel distribution, product development, marketing communications and customer service for the U.S. and global verticals.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.