A 30-year veteran in the foodservice coffee industry, Dennis Riley was named president and chief executive officer of Javo® Beverage Co., a provider of premium foodservice dispensable coffee and tea-based beverages.
Riley brings significant food and beverage and corporate experience to Javo. Previously he worked for the National Restaurant Association (NRA) where he held several key management positions most recently as vice president of sales. At the NRA, he was responsible for sales of the organization’s ServSafe branded Food Safety Training and Responsible Alcohol Service products to national account and regional sales organization. He also was involved in the continued development of the Sales and Marketing programs with the State Restaurants Associations.
From 1978 to 2006, Riley worked at Sara Lee Corp., where he rose to become president of Sara Lee Coffee & Tea Foodservice and president of Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems of North America (DE) as well as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Superior Coffee.
“With his in-depth knowledge industry knowledge and experience, Dennis is far and away the right choice to lead Javo, stated current director and interim CEO, Stan Greanias in a prepared statement. “Well respected in the industry, he has developed many strategic partnerships with key national accounts and both national and regional foodservice distributors. He has consistently driven increased volume and profitability in every management position he has held. Javo will benefit greatly from his knowledge, sales skills and leadership acumen.”
Among Riley’s accomplishments were strengthening relationships with leading foodservice establishments in nearly every segment of the industry. At Douwe Egberts, he expanded sales throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Caribbean, achieving annual double-digit volume and profitability growth in a relatively stagnant and low growth category. Sara Lee honored Riley with several of its top awards including receiving on two occasions the corporation’s President’s Award and its Record Performance Awards in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Riley is a graduate of National-Louis University in Chicago.
Based in Vista, Calif., Javo Beverage Company is a privately held manufacturer and distributor of fresh-brewed coffee and tea drinks in a concentrated form that is served from beverage dispensers. As an innovator and leader in the manufacture of coffee and tea-based dispensed beverages, drink mixes and flavor system, the company’s proprietary brewing technology yields fresh brewed coffees and teas that are flavorful, concentrated and stable, with broad applications in the foodservice, food manufacturing and beverage industries. For more company information, visit http://www.javobeverage.com.
Javo is a portfolio company of the investment firm Falconhead Capital, which specializes in growing companies in the consumer sector of the leisure and lifestyle space.
