Long Drink, the brand built on the heritage of the legendary Finnish alcohol category of long drinks, best described as citrus soda with real liquor, announced today the hiring of Matt Green as Vice President Of Off Premise Chains. With over 25 years of experience in the CPG and spirits industries, Matt will expand the brand’s growth across the U.S. and propel Long Drink further on its unprecedented growth trajectory which is already growing 500% annualized.
Long Drink Appoints New VP
Before joining the Long Drink team, Green served as the Senior Director at Beam Suntory where he led strategy to drive the largest share and profit gains in the spirits category for some of their largest national accounts. Green also led growth strategies for Kraft Foods in the Midwest where he contributed to their largest market share gain in the country, driving over $100 million in incremental revenue in one year.
“As a young company, The Finnish Long Drink has a one-of-a-kind refreshing taste profile that has produced organic pull-through and repeat purchases at a very strong rate off and on premise,” Green said. “We have built great partnerships with our wholesaler partners who will take this brand to a new level with chains and have already helped drive immediate support in my first 60 days with adoption from Walmart Inc., Target, Costco, Kroger, Total Wine and many more. I couldn’t be more excited to bring my expertise and passion to the brand and help make it a national name.”
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Known for his ability to build highly effective strategies that capture positive outcomes across sales operations, key account management, business and employee development, Green brings considerable experience from leadership roles guiding growth and operations for several multibillion-dollar Fortune 500 CPG companies. He earned his B.S. in Business Management from University of Phoenix.
About The Long Drink
“Long drink” is a top selling category of alcohol in Finland – a legend that is now available in America. The roots of long drinks go back to the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, when the country of only 4 million people was still recovering from World War II. Concerned about how to serve drinks quickly enough to all the visitors, the government commissioned the creation of a revolutionary new liquor drink that was both delicious and fast to serve – and so the first long drinks were born. Now this legend has finally been brought to America by the next generation of Finns who want the world to experience the refreshing and unique Finnish Long Drink. The Long Drink garnered a Gold Medal (94 Rating) at the prestigious New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC). The Long Drink is currently available in stores across the nation or online at www.thelongdrink.com.
