SAN MATEO, Calif. -- The FRS Co. has announced that Richard Libonate will rejoin the company as senior vice president of sales. In that capacity, he will oversee all sales activities for FRS.
FRS's core product is FRS Healthy Energy, a full line of products that provide natural, sustained energy without the crash. Featuring a patented blend of the powerful antioxidant quercetin, found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, FRS delivers sustained energy, increased endurance and immune system support.
Libonate's depth of experience working with both beverage and nutrition products is an excellent fit for this strategy, the company said.
Libonate is returning to FRS after spending three years at Promax Nutrition, where he was head of sales and served on its board. He previously held leadership positions at Cadbury Schweppes, The Snapple Beverage Group, A&W and Coca-Cola. He also served as chairman of NACS.
"Rich Libonate has strategically built sales organizations to win distribution in beverage, HBC, nutrition and natural channels," said Dave Henderson, CEO of FRS. "He is a detail-oriented, strategy-focused, hands-on sales leader, and we are thrilled to have him back on the executive team."
Following the acquisition of Nutravail in December, FRS continues to strengthen its positioning as a nutrition platform for a healthy active lifestyle, and to extend its reach beyond the beverage aisle.
Nutravail is a contract manufacturer serving national retail chains and brands. Nutravail's products focus on delivering a growing menu of nutritional ingredients in great-tasting formats. The company's portfolio includes soft chews, spun matrix flakes and ingredient encapsulations, each produced with a patented process. The company's flagship product is the uncooked soft chew which is produced at temperatures below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and low water activity, which expands the types of nutritional ingredients that can be incorporated. Nutravail's spun matrix flakes have had a similar impact on beverages, allowing the use of otherwise insoluble ingredients in a beverage. With the benefit of a seasoned product development group and a stable of process patents, Nutravail constantly challenges itself to develop delicious, highly functional products for its customers.
Major investors in FRS include Oak Investment Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm, and its founder Tom Lines.
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