Sonoma Cider, Healdsburg, Calif., added two new members to its sales team. James Williams was appointed senior vice president of sales overseeing six sales team members, and Ken Komar was named vice president of sales for the company’s Central territory, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Williams joins the Sonoma Cider team from Manneken-Brussel Imports Inc., Austin, Texas, where he served as national sales manager after prior posts as regional sales manager and national chain manager. Komar has worked in the beverage industry for 24 years, having served as a distributor for 15 years in Ohio with prior positions at Beverage Distributors Inc., Cleveland, and Tramonte Distributing Co., Akron, Ohio. Komar also spent eight years on the supplier side of the industry working for Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., as a distribution manager and national account manager.

In addition, the cider maker grew its distribution network by signing contracts with Anaheim, Calif.-based Harbor Distributing LLC and Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Pacific Beverage Co. Harbor Distributing, a company of Chicago-based Reyes Beverage Group, will distribute Sonoma Ciders across Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, while Pacific Beverage will serve Sonoma Cider in the Central Coast in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

These two new partnerships bring Sonoma Cider’s distribution network to 27 partnerships in 17 markets since its launch in late 2013, the company says. 

“The hard cider category is the fastest-growing category in the beverage sector, so from the beginning, we have focused on building a strong sales team and distribution network,” said Sonoma Cider Chief Executive Officer and Cidermaster David Cordtz in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome James and Ken to the Sonoma Cider family, and we are looking forward to building strong partnerships with Harbor Distributing and Pacific Beverage to expand our reach in California.”