Sufferfest, the beer brewed by athletes, for athletes, named Chris Strain president, effective immediately. Most recently, Strain served as chief marketing officer for Camelbak, where he oversaw the hydration brand’s product and marketing teams.
Strain’s 28 years of experience also includes 10 years with PepsiCo, starting in its bottling sales group before joining the national category management strategy team, and later becoming brand manager for Mountain Dew. At Vans, he spearheaded its lifestyle positioning as vice president of global marketing.
“Simply put, Chris is a swiss army knife,” said Caitlin Landesberg, CEO and founder of Sufferfest. “His breadth of experience in functional beverage, action sports and the outdoor industry makes him the perfect addition to our growing and all-star team. He represents the brains and brawn embodied by our brand, and there is much to look forward to on the horizon.”
Strain will will be responsible for Sufferfest’s strategic development and oversee the implementation of new distribution strategies that will launch the functional beer brand into new markets nationwide.
“Sufferfest is in a pivotal market position—with the launch of a new beer category that answers health and active consumers’ needs for a functional, great tasting beer. I am thrilled to join this innovative and energetic team to bring Sufferfest into continued success and growth,” said Strain.
Strain’s hire comes on the heels of significant growth in Sufferfest’s home base of California. New and increasing partnerships with Reyes Beverage Group, Beauchamp, Classic Distributing Group and Columbia Distributing expand Sufferfest’s accessibility to their growing athlete and outdoor enthusiast-driven markets throughout the state.
“California is the driving force of our business,” said Landesberg. “We have a deep commitment to our original tribe and are consistently focused on making Sufferfest more widely available to our fellow sweaty consumers throughout the state.”
