Co-op commercial director Rebecca Oliver-Mooney has been appointed as strategy and insights director at functional soft drinks brand Hip Pop.
Oliver-Mooney joins Hip Pop having spent over five-and-a-half years at the Co-op in a variety of head of category roles, progressing to the role of head of commercial in 2023. She was promoted to director of commercial for the retailer last May.
She brought “a wealth of experience in values-led leadership, partnerships, and driving growth for purpose-driven brands” to Hip Pop, according to the supplier.
In 2022, she helped conceptualise and launch The Apiary, Co-op’s incubation and acceleration programme. It is designed to enable smaller or early stage businesses that are “unique, purpose-driven and create social value” to become retail ready.
Prior to joining The Co-op, Oliver-Mooney worked for suppliers including Biotiful, Müller UK & Ireland and Nestlé.
She is also a director at UK deposit management organisation Exchange for Change.
“Hip Pop is challenging the soft drinks category in all the right ways … developing great-tasting drinks with addition of gut-friendly ingredients like fibre, live cultures or CBD,” said Oliver-Mooney. “It’s a brand that’s grounded in real consumer needs.
“As strategy and insights director, I’m excited to help turn those insights into clear choices about where we play and how we grow, while staying true to what makes Hip Pop different. It’s a business with real momentum, a strong point of view, and a lot of heart. I’m genuinely thrilled to be joining the team.”
Reflecting on her stint working for the Co-op, Oliver-Mooney added: “I’ve worked with extraordinary people to deliver work I’m genuinely proud of. Championing British farming, Fairtrade and water stewardship, creating partnerships that delighted customers when it mattered most, and supporting under-represented founders. It’s always been about range with a conscience, and proving that equity and commercial success can, and should, go hand in hand.
“One of the proudest pieces of that work was setting up The Apiary, Co-op’s incubation and acceleration programme for under-represented, purpose-led businesses, changing how we work with small brands and showing what’s possible when inclusion is built in, not bolted on.”
Her hire comes with Hip Pop seeking to build on a breakout 2025 in which value sales doubled for the third consecutive year.
Growth was bolstered by listings including placements in the Sainsbury’s and Waitrose meal deals, as well as with foodservice and on-trade wholesalers including Bidfood, Matthew Clark and LWC, Hip Pop said.
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