Talking Rain® Beverage Company Appoints Industry Veteran Brian Kuz as Chief Marketing Officer

Kuz joins Talking Rain with over 30 years of experience building brands and shaping industry giants in the beverage and consumer packaged goods categories, including Red Bull, The Scotts Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone Waters of North America, Information Resources Inc. (IRI), and Safeway.

"My experience spans initiatives rooted at the regional, national and global levels and with that said, I can safely say that beverage trends are the same globally," said Brian Kuz, Chief Marketing Officer of Talking Rain. "Every brand today wants to offer its consumer healthier alternatives, and a leading driver of this trend in the beverage category is the flavored sparkling water category, a category created and ignited by Sparkling Ice. Sparkling Ice continues to lead the category with its refreshing, zero-calorie sparkling waters, and I'm honored to be joining the team such an exciting time for the brand and what I also believe to be the tipping point for the beverage industry."

Prior to Sparkling Ice, Kuz held several leadership roles. Most recently, Kuz served as the Global Head of Trade Marketing and Insights at Red Bull GmbH in Austria. Originally joining Red Bull North America as the Head of Shopper Insights, Business Intelligence and Category Development, Kuz was with The Coca-Cola Company for five years overseeing category and brand strategy before serving as Director of Category Development at The Scotts Company. He also served as VP of Client Service at IRI and Director of Inventory Management at Safeway earlier in his career.

"The fact that an industry leader like Brian Kuz approached us to join Talking Rain validates our tremendous presence and promise within the beverage space," said Talking Rain President and CEO Kevin Klock. "Kuz brings a wealth of experience in the consumer goods and beverage industries which will serve us well as our brand continues its accelerated growth internationally. He will be instrumental in driving our brand identity, while taking Talking Rain to the next level to becoming a global industry-leading company."

In his new role as Chief Marketing Officer of Talking Rain, Kuz will be responsible for overseeing marketing initiatives and developing areas within the company such as channel distribution, product development, marketing communications and customer service for the U.S. and global verticals.

"I wanted to work for a company that I believe in, but also people that I believe in, and Talking Rain is just that," finished Brian Kuz. "I look forward to being a part of this innovative brand and helping to grow our space in the beverage industry for years to come."

For more information about Sparkling Ice products and flavors, please visit www.SparklingIce.com and www.facebook.com/SparklingIce.

About Talking Rain Beverage Company
The Talking Rain family of beverages includes thirst-quenching product lines: Sparkling Ice, Talking Rain Fusions™, Talking Rain Mountain Spring Water and Talking Rain Sparkling Mountain Spring Water, all of which are created to refresh the body and renew the mind. For 28 years, Talking Rain has stayed true to its vision and its commitment to community by continually creating great tasting, refreshing beverages. For more information, visit www.talkingrain.com.

About Sparkling Ice Beverages
Sparkling Ice beverages combine sparkling water, natural flavors, fruit juice and vitamins to offer great tasting, lightly carbonated beverages. Sparkling Ice is the Bold Side of Water®, offering a bold-flavored, lightly-carbonated beverage that appeals to all age groups. Available in thirteen refreshing flavors: Black Raspberry, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Coconut Pineapple, Pomegranate Blueberry, Peach Nectarine, Lemon Lime, Crisp Apple, Cherry Limeade, Strawberry Watermelon, Black Cherry and new in 2016 Grape Raspberry. Sparkling Ice Lemonades, launched in 2013, are available in three refreshing flavors: Classic Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade and Peach Lemonade.  Sparkling Ice Teas launched nationally in 2015 and include Peach Tea, Raspberry Tea, Lemon Tea and Half & Half flavors. In 2016, the brand introduced the Sparkling Ice essence of sparkling water collection, which features four natural varieties free of sweeteners, artificial colors or preservatives. The essence of sparkling water collection includes Lemon Lime, Peach, Tangerine and a non-flavored variety. Sparkling Ice is part of the Talking Rain family of beverages, and retails for $1.19-$1.29. To locate Sparkling Ice, visit www.sparklingice.com/locate/.

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SOURCE Talking Rain Beverage Company