Mighty Leaf Tea Appoints New CEO

Former PepsiCo. and Diageo executive Sheila Stanziale has been appointed chief executive officer of Mighty Leaf Tea. Stanziale, a 20-year premium beverage brand and foodservice executive, will lead the overall Mighty Leaf Tea business which will continue to operate as a stand-alone company owned by Peet’s Coffee and Next World Group, a privately held investment firm.

“Mighty Leaf Tea is an exceptional brand, and I’m a longtime fan of the company’s dedicated passion to crafting the finest quality teas from around the world,” said Sheila Stanziale, chief executive officer of Mighty Leaf Tea. “It’s an honor to join Mighty Leaf’s talented team and work with them to further build upon the brand’s great success and momentum in the specialty tea category.”

Stanziale brings to the position 20 years of foodservice and premium beverage brand experience with various senior leadership positions at Nabisco, General Mills, Kraft, PepsiCo, Diageo-Guinness USA and, most recently, as president and general manager of organic category leader Hain-Celestial. As CEO of Mighty Leaf Tea, Stanziale will have responsibility for the company’s global business with all functions reporting to her. Also, Stanziale will serve on and report to Mighty Leaf Tea’s board of directors comprised of executives from both Peet’s Coffee and Next World Group.

“Sheila is an accomplished executive in the premium beverage and foodservice industries, and we’re proud to have her on board as Mighty Leaf’s new CEO,” said Dave Burwick, president and CEO of Peet’s Coffee. “With her strong leadership background at some of the world’s largest iconic beverage brands, we know she’s the right person to lead the way for Mighty Leaf’s continued growth and acceleration over the next several years.”

“Mighty Leaf’s successful heritage is in the foodservice channel, and we’re fortunate to have many loyal distributors here in the U.S. and globally. Our distributors will have an even greater opportunity to build our mutual businesses with the addition of Peet’s special tea varieties within the greater Mighty Leaf Tea portfolio,” Stanziale added.

Beginning this month and throughout the summer, Mighty Leaf’s hot, iced and bagged teas will be available at all Peet’s retail locations. The company is also rolling out a series of new tea products over the next few months starting with four 15-count packaged teas ($8.95/per box), available in all Peet’s retail stores, wholesale channels and major grocery stores, including:

• * Green Tea Tropical – smooth green tea leaves blended with tropical fruit notes.
• * Chamomile Citrus – sweet, apple-like chamomile with a citrus finish.
• * Organic Breakfast – robust, malty blend of organic black teas.
• * Organic African Nectar – rich organic rooibos with tropical flavors.

Mighty Leaf Tea will announce more new products and beverages in the coming months.