CONCORD, N.C., May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- S&D Coffee & Tea's Ron Hinson, president & CEO, recently celebrated his 40th anniversary with the company. From his start as a sales representative in Asheville, N.C., Hinson's unwavering commitment to customer service and satisfaction helped transform S&D's internal culture to one dedicated to quality and consistency. This customer-centric mindset led the company to tremendous growth and success throughout Hinson's tenure.
Since being named CEO in 2000, Hinson's visionary leadership propelled S&D's revenue growth by 250%. From building a state-of-the-art iced tea blending plant to investing in and building one of the first commercial-sized cold brew manufacturing plants, S&D recognized consumer and customer needs and forged a way to meet those needs. Under Hinson's leadership, S&D became the largest U.S. custom coffee roaster, supplying the world's best-known coffee retailers and restaurant chains.
Recently, S&D radically redefined its business model, taking advantage of extended global reach, innovative technology and supply chain integration since becoming a subsidiary of Cott Corporation in August 2016. Today, Hinson sees this as the platform to take the company to another level, as a broader beverage solutions provider.
- The coffee and tea extracts business segment experiences consistent year-over-year growth and, as coffee beverages continue to expand, the company is poised to advance its position as the only vertically integrated coffee, tea and botanical commercial extractor.
- S&D is expanding its supply chain capability in both Europe and Asia to support its ever-broadening customer base.
- The company started to diversify its product portfolio beyond coffee and tea with the launch of its Infused Beverages Platform—a first of many new categories to come.
S&D is making an even stronger commitment to its role as a corporate leader, redefining the corporate climate for social and sustainable initiatives that create real change.
- Diversity and inclusion have been at the forefront for Hinson. Since the start of his tenure as CEO, the number of female vice presidents increased six-fold. The recently announced promotion of Tracy Ging to EVP, chief business officer, is another indicator of a wider variety of voices at the executive level.
- Through its Raíz Sustainability® platform, S&D leads groundbreaking impact —not only at origin, but throughout the supply chain—changing farmers' business and agricultural practices and opening the doors for S&D's customers to meet sustainability commitments through sustainable purchases.
- As the developer and sponsor of the Leadership Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Scholarship Program through the Specialty Coffee Association, S&D continues to blaze new trails. LEAD is aimed at increasing diversity of leadership within the global coffee community by enabling access to professional development resources for people from underrepresented or marginalized communities.
With the beverage industry introducing new trends and innovations every day, Hinson is proud to play a key role and plans to be an integral part of the industry for years to come. In addition to his role as president & CEO, Hinson serves on the executive boards of the National Coffee Association and the Tea Association of America.
"It has been an incredible experience growing with S&D Coffee & Tea over the past 40 years," said Ron Hinson, president & CEO of S&D. "The company has achieved so many amazing things and I feel honored and humbled to have the opportunity to lead this talented, dedicated team each day. I can't wait to see what's next and look forward to many more exciting new ventures."
About S&D Coffee & Tea
S&D Coffee & Tea partners with more than 110,000 customers, delivering beverage solutions to some of the world's best-known foodservice operators. With nearly 100 years of history, we are now driving the beverage menu of the future. As a subsidiary of Cott Corporation, we have our sights boldly set on becoming the world's leading beverage innovator, dedicated to a sustainable portfolio of coffee, tea and botanical ingredients. To discover your next beverage solution, visit sdcoffeetea.com.
