Sproud Appoints General Manager For North America And Announces Entry Into Whole Foods Market
Industry Veteran Takes Leadership Position to Further Growth for Innovative Plant-Based Brand.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) May 11, 2021 - Sproud (www.besproud.com), the Swedish startup behind a range of plant-based milk made from yellow split peas, continues to turn heads within the plant-based industry with today’s announcement that Bill Lange has joined the company as General Manager for North America.
In his new role, Lange will be responsible for maintaining the brands rapid growth within major retailers across North America and will leverage his extensive industry background and network to manage key relationships with retailers and brand partners as the business continues to flourish.
Additionally, Sproud maintains its position as the plant-based dairy alternative by announcing that it is now available in Whole Foods Market stores across Southern California. With the addition of this new partnership, which will cover 65 Whole Foods Market stores initially, Whole Foods Market joins other key retailers, including Sprouts, Meijer, and Amazon, in addition to their e-commerce channel on the Sproud website, making Sproud accessible nationwide.
Pioneering the plant-based movement, Sproud outperforms other milks on taste, nutrition, and sustainability. Its neutral taste and creamy texture make it the most versatile alternative on the market and as close to traditional dairy as you can get. Sproud’s unconventional, yet superior ingredient of yellow split peas is high in protein, low in sugar and happens to be one of the most sustainable plant-based protein sources on the planet. Quite simply, Sproud is the dairy alternative.
“The Sproud founders created an incredible product and brand that strongly delivers on consumer trends and aligns with my own personal values around nutrition and sustainability,” said Bill Lange, N.A. General Manager, Sproud. “I am thrilled to join Sproud and to work alongside a global team of talented and inspired entrepreneurs to further the brand’s growth in North America, starting with our new availability in Whole Foods.”
“Bill has a proven track record of scaling up new entrant brands and we are incredibly excited about the opportunity for Sproud in North America,” said Maria Tegmen, CEO, and co-founder, Sproud. “Plant-based foods are no longer a niche interest and we are pleased to be making Sproud even more available nationwide. Bill instinctively understands the health and environmental benefits of Sproud and what the next generation of consumers expect from the brands they choose.”
Lange joins Sproud leveraging 25 years of CPG marketing and management experience through previous senior roles at large food and beverage companies including Nestlé, Campbell Soup Company, KeVita and ZICO Beverages. Lange’s extensive background is rooted in helping early-stage and mid-size food & beverage companies outperform their expectations in sales and marketing. He holds an MBA in marketing from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Sproud launched in the US in the summer of 2020 and has quickly established itself as a leading provider of plant-based milk made from pea-based protein globally. In January 2021, the company announced a $6.5M investment, which is being used to further grow its North American business and team.
The innovation of Sproud lies in the company’s unique ability to create products with a taste, texture, and nutritional profile developed to closely resemble that of traditional dairy. All of Sproud’s products are vegan, high in protein and free from lactose, gluten, nuts, and soy. Earlier this year, Sproud was named the first ever alternative milk brand to have its products certified by Sugarwise, the international authority for sugar claims.
For more information on Sproud and the brand’s plant-based milk products, please visit https://besproud.com/us/.
About Sproud
Sproud is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. In the Nordics, Sproud supplies its plant-based milk to some of the largest hospitality chains of the region, including Espresso House and Clarion Hotel. Sproud products sold in North America are manufactured in Canada and distributed by Ethical Brands Inc of Red Bank New Jersey. The company’s investors include VGC Partners, a growth venture firm based in London, Findeln Holding, a Malmö-based, family-owned investment company in which Sproud co-founder Nicklas Jungberg is a majority shareholder, and Swedish investment group Dream Beverage. To-date, the company has raised 12M USD.
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