Functional drinks brand Hip Pop has hired Graham Beales to be its new chief executive.
The Manchester-based SME initially brought Beales in to help support its operations, but said it had subsequently appointed him as CEO “due to his wealth of fmcg knowledge and experience”.
Beales was previously head of operations at Grenade, where he spent nearly five years as part of the senior leadership team.
During his time at the protein snacking bar outfit, he helped grow annual revenues from £17m to £65m, culminating in the brand’s £200m acquisition by Mondelez in 2021.
“Bringing Graham on board early gives us a huge strategic advantage,” said Hip Pop co-founder Kenny Goodman. “He will drive the business forward, allowing co-founder Emma and I to focus on strategy, brand, product, culture and important brand relationships.”
Beales added: “My background is in operations – both at corporate and SME level. I’ve recently spent two years working as a consultant, supporting growing, emerging startup brands, and brands that are going through very significant growth curves.
“I look forward to working with both Kenny and Emma, as well as the operations, sales and marketing teams to help to align, direct and focus them on the growth they need to achieve.”
Hip Pop was originally founded in 2019 under the name Booch & Brew. It makes a range of vegan, low-sugar and non-artificial kombucha and sodas that it claims “taste good and do good”.
Its Gut Lovin’ Orange Soda was recently listed by Sainsbury’s. Other retailers for its kombuchas and sodas include Booths, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.
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