North Texas-based Stryve, which produces healthy snack foods including beef biltong, announced Jaxie Alt to the role of co-CEO, effective immediately.
Alt joined Stryve in March 2019 as chief marketing officer after spending 17 years with Keurig Dr Pepper, overseeing a product portfolio responsible for more than $8 billion in retail sales. Since joining Stryve, Alt helped the healthy snacking company double annual revenue and establish itself as the top-selling biltong brand in the U.S at traditional retail and online. As Co-CEO, Alt will continue to oversee nationwide marketing efforts as Stryve expands its footprint, along with leading sales and human resources at the company.
“Jaxie’s passion to put something healthy in the world is contagious,” said Peter Rahal, founder of Rx Bar and a Stryve Board Member. “Her energy and expertise are key ingredients that have helped this startup find its voice and established a brand that can be successful going to market now and in the future.”
In addition to Alt’s promotion, the company recently welcomed three experienced executives to its leadership team: chief operating officer, Alex Hawkins; chief financial officer, Billie Winkle; and chief sales officer, Bruce Boettner.
“I’m thrilled about the team we’ve assembled to help Stryve grow,” said Alt. “As consumer interest in healthy eating continues, and awareness and understanding of biltong expands, I believe we now have the leadership team in place to reach our goal to help America snack better.”
Hawkins joins Stryve as its chief operating officer. Previously, Hawkins was a principal investor at Rosewood Private investments leading over $400 million of merger and acquisition transactions. Hawkins brings the Stryve team deep expertise in strategy and operations with a particular focus on nutrition brands and manufacturers.
Chief financial officer, Winkle, is the second female—along with Alt—to join the executive leadership team at Stryve. Prior to joining the company, Winkle served as the Vice President of Accounting, Tax and Treasury at KidKraft, scaling the business to 10 times its size during her tenure.
Boettner, named chief sales officer, brings extensive sales experience from the food and beverage industry. He most recently served as Vice President of Sales at startup Humm Kombucha and worked 19 years with Kellogg’s as sales lead for the Kashi brand.
The meat snack category in the U.S. is on the rise, growing more than 9% in the last year according to industry estimates. Consumers are moving to less-processed, low-sugar, and no-preservative options, choosing new entrants such as beef biltong products produced by Stryve. Biltong sales in the U.S. grew more than 500 percent in the last year.
Stryve expects to double its sales again in 2020. For more information about Stryve or beef biltong, visit stryve.com.
