The Coca-Cola Co. has ended the intense speculation over who will take over Chairman Doug Daft’s post by naming E. Neville Isdell chairman and chief executive officer elect. Isdell, who hails from Ireland, has a long history with the company’s global operations. He joined Coca-Cola in 1966, and held positions in Zambia, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines; was president of the company’s division in Central Europe; group president for North East Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and president of the Greater Europe Group. He left the company in 1998 to serve as chairman of Coca-Cola Beverages and brokered a merger with Hellenic Bottling Co. to form Coca-Cola HBC, where he served as chief executive officer until 2001.

“Neville’s deep knowledge of our global business and system will serve him extremely well as he takes over the reins of our company and moves our business forward,” said Daft in a statement.

“Neville Isdell has led the company’s business operations on five continents and in some of its largest and most important markets,” said Jimmy Williams, member of the management development committee that conducted the search for Daft’s successor. “He has developed new markets and injected innovation and competitiveness into existing operations. Additionally, he has created major bottling companies and built outstanding leadership teams while staying true to the enduring values of our brand and company.” Coca-Cola says the transition from Daft to Isdell will take place by early summer.

PEOPLE Dave Gronostaj has been named president of Warsteiner Importers Agency’s U.S. operations, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company also has named Jon Simon vice president of sales and Tom Griffith vice president of finance… The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, has selected Donald Knauss as executive vice president… Keith Reimer has been named president and chief executive officer of Pepsi Bottling Ventures, a joint venture between Suntory International and PepsiCo. He succeeds Rick Poillon who is retiring from the company. Tracey Doucette will take Reimer’s previous position as vice president and general manager of the North American Coffee Partnership, Pepsi’s joint venture with Starbucks… Coca-Cola Enterprises, Atlanta, has named Guy Thomas vice president of U.S. sales operations, and David Katz vice president of operations planning and development… Bill Sipper has joined Cascadia Consulting Group, Ramsey, N.J., focusing on the company’s training and development business... Albert Marti, vice president of key accounts at National Distributing Co., Atlanta, retired from the company last month. Marti had worked with National Distributing since 1980… The Beer Institute has selected Lester Jones as director of statistical and information services… Franciscan Estates, St. Helena, Calif., has named Leslie Litwak vice president of marketing. Steve Smit has joined the company as director of grower relations, and Don McCuish has become district manager for Massachusetts… Larry Fioretti has joined Luctor International as vice president of sales development… Castle Brands, New York City, has named Jannell Eilers regional director for Texas and Louisiana, Lou Suffredini as regional manager for the Southeast and David Wyatt as regional manager for the Midwest…

Diageo has announced plans to consolidate its offices in Stamford, Conn., and White Plains, N.Y., to a new U.S. headquarters in Norwalk, Conn. The new offices offer 270,000 square feet of space for employees, and is expected to be complete early next year.

The company also announced a restructuring of its agreement with Moët Hennessey and Schieffelin & Somerset, effective July 1. The Diageo brands currently managed by Schieffelin & Somerset will be managed by Diageo North America, with Schieffelin & Somerset managing the Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Grand Marnier, Domaine Chandon, Ruffino and Casa Lapastolle brands.

Diageo will assume responsibility for Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Tanqueray No. Ten, Ciroc, J&B, Buchanan’s, Pinch, Cardhu, Talisker, Lagavulin, Oban, Glenkincie, Dalwhinnie and Cragganmore.

“Moët Hennessey has become a significant player in the United States, with close to $1 billion in revenues,” said Christophe Navarre, chief executive officer at Moët Hennessey, in a statement. “This will enable Schieffelin & Somerset (which will be renamed Schieffelin) to build its luxury brands and add new brands to its portfolio while simplifying the management of the company.”

“By transferring to Diageo North America the management of the Schieffelin & Somerset brands owned by Diageo, we will be able to significantly increase our focus, manage them with less complexity and strengthen our relationship with our distributors,” added Ivan Menezes, president and chief executive officer at Diageo.

Fetzer Vineyard’s President Paul Dolan recently announced plans to leave the company and launch several new winemaking ventures. He plans to serve as president of the Mendocino Wine Group, a partnership with Tom and Tim Thornhill, owners of La Ribera Vineyards. Tim Thornhill will serve as chief operating officer of the group, and the partners last month announced plans to purchase Parducci Wine Cellars. Parducci produces about 150,000 cases of premium and super-premium wines, and has recently been certified as an organic wine producer. The group intends to enhance the sustainable and organic farming practices already in place at the winery, and says it will keep all of the company’s existing brands and explore additional Italian varietals such as Pinot Grigio and Primitivo. Dolan also plans to open Sauvignon Republic Cellars, focused on Sauvignon Blanc, as well as a new winery with his sons.

Cadbury Schweppes has opened a new public affairs office in Washington, D.C., for its U.S. beverage and confectionery businesses. Deborah Louison has been named vice president of government affairs, and will also be the company’s primary contact with trade associations and non-government organizations, and provide counsel on community relations and corporate and social responsibility programs.

“The timing for opening a regional government affairs office is perfect because we’ve recently restructured from nine regional business units down to five, and two are in the Americas — Parsippany, N.J.-based Cadbury Adams confectionery and Plano, Texas-based Americas Beverages,” said Neil Makin, Cadbury Schweppes external affairs director, in a statement. “This is an important business growth region for Cadbury Schweppes, and one that has a substantial volume base of existing businesses. We need to be involved in the public policy debates related to those businesses, and now we have that
in-house capability.”

Bucks Coffee Co. recently announced two distribution agreements that have it brewing up sales across the Mid-Atlantic. The Langhorne, Pa., company now has distribution in Richmond, Va., thanks to an agreement with Ukrop’s Super Markets, and the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area through Safeway and Giant Food stores. The new territories give the company more than 800 retail locations. Ukrop’s and Giant will carry five varieties, and Safeway will carry seven varieties of premium ground coffee in 12-ounce bags.

Buck’s also was recently awarded a long-term exclusive contract with 3G’s Catering LLP, Fort Washington, Pa., for coffee service at Fort Washington’s new Exposition Center.

Barton Brands recently received trademark approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office for the Ridgemont Reserve and 1792 small-batch bourbon.

“Barton is happy to be able to continue to use the design architecture and 1792 name because they represent the true essence of the brand,” the company said in a statement. The brand’s package design features a decanter-style bottle, with a traditional cork finish and a burlap neck wrap.

GO FIGURE
1.2
Dollars per pound Starbucks spends on coffee beans, according to The Associated Press. The company buys approximately 2 percent of the world’s high-quality coffee.
4.8
Millions of dollars the Florida Department of Citrus has committed to purchasing air time through June on ABC, NBC and cable television channels as part of its advertising campaign to counter the low-carb trend, according to The Associated Press.
5
Millions of Sunkist-sponsored trading cards that will be inserted into bags of oranges nationwide in support of Upper Deck’s alliance with Little League Baseball. The six-card set will feature pictures of players such as Gary Carter and Paul O’Neil from when they played in Little League.
6.5
Percent increase in consumption of super-premium Canadian Whisky, according to ACNielsen. Canadian Club whisky recently delivered its 300 millionth case to the largest independent retail buyer of Canadian Club in California.
14
Percent of global retail volume tea sales attributed to India, according to Euromonitor International. Black tea makes up approximately 80 percent of tea sales in the country.
74
Percent of marketers who expect to see increases in marketing in schools, according to a Harris Interactive/Kid Power Poll of Youth Marketers study as reported by Finance-Commerce.com. The same study found school marketing tactics deemed unacceptable by marketing professionals include advertising on school buses and book covers.