Swig Appoints Chase Wardrop as President to Further Drive Brand Expansion and Excellence

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Swig, the highly popular, and fast-growing specialty drink shop, has announced the appointment of Chase Wardrop as President. In this position, Wardrop will oversee all company operations and the management team of Swig. He will be responsible for expanding the brand's footprint into new geographies while maintaining the unmatched customer service, speed and innovative products the brand is known for.

Wardrop has been instrumental in Swig's rapid growth, and the expanding specialty soda culture as a whole. Today, under his leadership and teamwork with partners Dylan Roeder (VP Marketing and Innovation) and Nicole Tanner (Founder of Swig), they have grown sales to more than $30M annually with 18 stores planned in 2021 and expansion into two new states. This will bring the Swig brand to 47 units in more than 6 regional markets throughout the Western United States.

"We're thrilled to have Chase at the helm of our growing team and beloved Swig brand," said Savory CEO, Shauna Smith. "Drawing on his deep experience and passion, Chase will lead Swig into its next phase of growth as we bring the brand's infectious popularity to even more people and geographies in 2021 and beyond."

Wardrop is a graduate of Brigham Young University. After graduating in 2015, with longtime friend and co-founder Dylan Roeder, he co-founded The Soda Shop in his hometown of Gilbert, Arizona. The Soda Shop became a widely popular brand locally and grew to two stores in less than a year. Wardrop and Roeder then sold a majority stake of The Soda Shop to Savory in early 2017, after which it merged with the original soda brand, Swig. During this transaction, Wardrop became the vice-president of operations for Swig, under the direction of Savory, a Mercato Partners food and beverage focused fund.

"Swig is an incredible brand with the best team possible and I couldn't be happier to continue its hypergrowth into the future," said Wardrop. "Working with so many incredible people that I respect and enjoy makes it possible to accomplish the monumental goals we have for the brand. We're a team that never settles and will continue to evolve and improve." 

"Despite the challenges 2020 presented, the brand flourished under Chase's leadership as we were able to open nine new units, bringing the magic of Swig to new communities in Utah and Arizona," said Nicole Tanner, founder of Swig. "I have every confidence that Chase will continue the legacy of Swig and grow it to new, unimaginable heights."

For more information about Swig and its locations, please visit: swignsweets.com, and to learn more about how Savory helps restaurant concepts sustainably grow and thrive, contact the team at [email protected] or visit savoryfund.com

ABOUT SWIG
Swig, home of the Dirty Soda™, was founded in 2010 in Saint George, Utah. Owner and Founder Nicole Tanner was brainstorming with her husband one night about possible business ideas, and the two came up with the idea for a drive-by drink shop that had customized flavors added to its drinks.  From that small beginning, Swig has expanded into multiple states becoming thousands of people's go-to destination for personalized drinks, customized energy drinks, boba teas, cookies and other sweets.

ABOUT SAVORY
Savory, a Mercato Partners Fund, is focused on delivering outsized returns through strategic investments in the food and beverage industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands, to deliver financial capital, industry expertise, revenue opportunities, profitability enhancements, and new location development. The Savory team contributes directly to all aspects of growth and replication by using a proven playbook and methodology. Founder involvement in the expansion of a brand is a central theme of the Savory approach as founders carry the tribal knowledge around the uniqueness that has energized early success and is essential to future growth.

SOURCE Swig

Related Links

https://www.swignsweets.com