PLANO, Texas, US – NuZee, Inc., a leading U.S. producer and co-packer of specialty single serve pour-over coffee pouches and tea bag style coffee, announced two new hires to its sales team; Kathleen Schartner, VP of Business Development and Marie Franklin, VP of Sales, North and West Coast. Kathleen Schartner will be responsible for expanding and distributing NuZee’s product offerings to the hospitality industry, gaming, grocery channel and college & universities.
She brings a wealth of expertise in business development and foodservice account management at companies like Nestle and Sani Professional. Most recently, she managed the foodservice sales team at Farmer Brothers, where she led all business development efforts on their private label and branded coffee programs. Kathleen Schartner said, “Hunting for new business is my passion and I am confident that my knowledge in new business development will be an added value to the NuZee sales organization.”
Marie Franklin, VP of Sales, North and West Coast, will be responsible for bringing and selling NuZee’s single service pour over and tea bag style coffee products to roasters on the West Coast and Northern regions of the United States.
She comes to NuZee with 25 years of experience in the coffee industry with expertise in many aspects of coffee including importing, roasting, retailing, sales and marketing at brands like Umbria Coffee Roasters, Sustainable Harvest, Portland Coffee Roasters and Seattle’s beloved Torrefazione Italia.
“Single-serve solutions are an appreciable part of the coffee market and have become a necessity in the modern roaster’s portfolio. I am looking forward to using the breadth of my experience to help NuZee’s customers achieve their taste goals and move beyond the capsule.”
Keith Wright, VP of Sales, will continue to lead sales for the West Coast and Southern region from California to Texas for NuZee. Mr. Wright, who has been with the company for over two years, said, “NuZee’s eco-friendly single serve coffee formats are great options for coffee drinkers who want authentic tasting cup of coffee without using plastic. I am excited to start working with Kathleen and Marie to introduce these single serve coffee formats to more coffee roasters and hospitality customers in the United States.”
Travis Gorney, Chief Innovation Officer, will continue to focus on business development with new products and programs as well as working on strategic accounts. “Leading innovation is a passion of mine and I am looking forward to bringing new ideas to life for the customer and NuZee,” said Travis Gorney.
“With the addition of Kathleen and Marie to the sales organization, NuZee is well positioned to work to grow its customer base as well as expand distribution channels to reach many more US coffee drinkers,” said Jose Ramirez, Chief Sales and Supply Chain Officer, who also recently joined NuZee. “Together with this new sales team, I am looking forward to changing the way people drink coffee in the United States, one cup at a time.”
