Tractor Beverage Company Welcomes Asif Khalid as COO
Tractor Beverage Company, exclusive creator of the world’s only certified organic, non-GMO foodservice beverages, has welcomed industry veteran Asif Khalid to its executive team as the company’s first chief operating officer.
Khalid brings a vast wealth of beverage category experience to the company and joins its ranks following a 14-year career at 7-Eleven, where he served as director of store innovation. In addition to this leading role at the convenience store giant, Khalid was also the senior category manager of non-alcoholic beverages, senior product development manager of private brands and regional market operations manager. More recently, he was the founder and CEO of Good Gracious Beverages, a foodservice company committed to revolutionizing restaurant & hospitality beverage offerings with sustainable craft drinks designed to increase margins via product and equipment innovations that reduce footprints and overhead.
“Asif is a transformational leader whose experience in the beverage industry promises to catapult Tractor to new heights,” said Kevin Sherman, Tractor Beverage Company’s CEO. “He’s joining an already successful team, and with the inception of the COO role, I’m confident we will go into 2023 the strongest we’ve ever been, with a high-velocity operating model that will empower our team to deliver an unmatched caliber of service to our pouring partners. I’m eager to see what we can accomplish together as the remainder of this year unfolds.”
Khalid’s work at Good Gracious to both develop brand, vision, and strategy for a new-to-market family of beverages and commercialize product and equipment innovations for alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks alike makes him the ideal choice to boost Tractor’s efforts to disrupt the foodservice beverage industry.
“I am thrilled to join the Tractor leadership team and look forward to bringing my experience to this new role to help build on the brand’s success, innovating in the beverage space while creating more value for our customers, partners, and employees,” said Khalid.
As its new COO, a role created specifically to allow the company to leverage his diverse skills, Khalid will apply his knowledge and passion to the next phase of Tractor’s ongoing growth.
Founded with a mission to create better beverages for all, Tractor Beverage Company is the first and only certified organic, non-GMO full line beverage solution for foodservice. Tractor’s handcrafted drinks feature clean ingredients that deliver on taste, functionality, and an innovative consumer experience. Tractor’s vision is to use its beverage platform to expand organic farm practices—and, in turn, lead the way to a more sustainable and flourishing future for restaurants, consumers and farmers.
Tractor was named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2021. For more information, please visit drinktractor.com or follow along on Instagram at @drinktractor.
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José Sánchez Peñate Dairy, Coffee, Bakery Equipment for Sale
Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring and investment firm, is offering for immediate sale by private treaty machinery and equipment from four plants in the Canary Islands formerly leased by the firm to the Spanish food products manufacturer and distributor José Sánchez Peñate.
José Sánchez Peñate primarily produced dairy products from two plants in Tenerife, Spain, and manufactured and supplied coffee and bakery products from two plants in Gran Canaria. The complete plant and available machinery equipment are as follows:
- Milk plant, including preparation, mixing, sterilization, cooling, packaging and palletizing systems.
- Yoghurt plant, including raw material reception, pasteurization of milk, mixing station, pasteurization of yoghurt, addition of starter, fermentation, packaging, palletizing, cooling and storage.
- Coffee plant, including raw materials reception, recipe preparation, roasting, milling, packing of coffee beans for restaurants or ground coffee, packaging, palletizing and storage.
- Bakery plant, including raw materials reception, kneading machines, forming machines, cutting and boarding, fermentation area, baking and cooling, packaging and palletizing.
“This unprecedented food manufacturing plant sale is already generating global interest and is an amazing opportunity to acquire machinery and equipment worth millions of euros,” said Duncan Ainscough, managing director, commercial & industrial at Gordon Brothers. “With over €95 billion of assets appraised and disposed in the food and beverage industry, we are a trusted partner with a deep understanding of this sector and a strong history in maximizing asset value for companies in Spain and throughout Europe.”
The machinery and equipment is installed and inspections are available by appointment only. To view the full list of available assets, visit Gordon Brothers’ website: www.gordonbrothers.com/JSP.
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Black Rock Coffee to Open 30th Store in Arizona
Black Rock founders Daniel Brand (L) and Jeff Hernandez (R)
Black Rock Coffee Bar, a fast-growing coffee chain that is known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and flavorful Fuel energy drinks, will open its newest store, a drive-thru-only store, in the Phoenix metro area. Founded in Oregon with more than 100 stores across seven states, Arizona is Black Rock Coffee Bar’s second largest market behind the Northwest. The boutique coffee chain has 30 stores in Arizona with 25 located in the Phoenix metro area.
Located at 2260 W. Glendale Ave., just off Interstate 17, the 800 square-foot- drive-thru-only store is set to open on Friday, Feb. 3. To celebrate its grand opening, Black Rock will offer all customers $2 medium drinks all day at this location as well as other specials throughout the following week.
“In the last two years, we have accelerated our growth in Arizona,” said Jeff Hernandez, co-founder and executive chairman of Black Rock Coffee Bar. “Our plan is to keep going – to open more locations in the Grand Canyon State so that we can continue to serve and connect with the Arizona community, culture, and people. We are thrilled to open a drive-thru only store that is conveniently located off Interstate 17. It’s perfect for people and families on the go.”
With 118 stores across the United States, the popular coffee chain is guided by three principles – coffee, community and connection. Its mission is to be a positive force in the communities it serves.
Founded in 2008 in Portland, an area of the Pacific Northwest known for its coffee excellence, Black Rock Coffee Bar continues its rapid expansion in the West and into the Sunbelt with locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The boutique coffee chain recently was named the Fastest Growing Private Company in Oregon and SW Washington in 2021 by the Portland Business Journal. This year, Black Rock Coffee Bar ranked 837th among America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. Magazine’s 5000 Annual List.
The Black Rock culture prides itself on providing opportunities for young people to learn how to lead, run a business, and develop people skills.
Read about how in coffee culture, attitude is everything in the January issue of Gourmet News.