Changing of the Guard
John Butcher
Several coffee firms announced promotions and a changing of the guard at the first of the year.
Caribou Coffee promoted its president, John Butcher, to the role of c.e.o. replacing Sharon Spiegel. Butcher previously worked 20 years at Minneapolis-based Target. Caribou operates 300 US stores and 270 international locations. Butcher was named president in June 2017. Caribou is owned by JAB Holding, Co.
Tim Horton’s parent company named José Cil c.e.o. of RBI (Restaurant Brands International) to lead the brand. He replaces Daniel Schwartz who founded RBI, which also owns Burger King and Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen. Schwartz was named executive chairman. Cil announced that Tim Hortons will open its first of 1,500 coffee shops in China. Josh Kobza was promoted to c.o.o. and will become head of global development. RBI reports $30 billion in sales annually from 25,000 restaurants in 100 countries.
Dutch Bros Coffee named former Stumptown Coffee Roasters executive Joth Ricci president. Ricci worked with TSG Consumer Partners, the investment firm that sold Stumptown in 2015. He is currently president and c.e.o. at Adelshem Vineyard and a director at Brew Dr. Kombucha and Minkasi Brewing Co. Annual turnover at Dutch Bros is $400 million.
Bühler North America has named Andy Sharpe as the new president and c.e.o. of its North American division. He succeeds René Steiner who is retiring after 50 years with the company. Sharpe has been with the company since 1996 where he worked as market manager in Stamford, UK. He has served as c.e.o. of Bühler Aeroglide since April 2015.