BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oliver Winery, the 30th largest winery in the U.S., today announced that Patrick Brown was named Chief Executive Officer, effective July 22, 2024. A consumer goods expert, Brown is a 30-year veteran of the highly competitive and fast-moving global consumer goods (FMCG) industry. His deep expertise across grocery, nutrition, health, and personal care and his relationships with global retailers bring valuable knowledge and perspective to Oliver Winery.
“I could not be happier to join Oliver Winery. With a great brand, outstanding products, and phenomenal operations capabilities, this business has all the tools to scale to the next level,” said Brown. “Using my experiences and background of scaling businesses, my goal is to build Oliver into the market’s next big growth story. I’m looking forward to joining this high-caliber team and becoming part of the Oliver family.”
Brown has successfully led within multi-national consumer goods companies, such as Unilever and Johnson & Johnson, as well as for breakout brands, such as KIND Snacks. Prior to joining Oliver Winery, Brown was President and CEO at Vega Nutrition, successfully cultivating a highly engaged leadership team and profitable growth for the brand. Before Vega Nutrition, Brown spent eight years with WhiteWave Foods Co., parent company of brands such as Silk, Horizon Organic, and International Delight. There, he fostered significant distribution and sales increases that positioned WhiteWave for strategic acquisition from Danone.
"I believe Pat Brown will be an ideal leader to continue Oliver Winery’s track record of category leadership and innovation,” added Bill Oliver, Oliver Winery founder and board member. “For 15 years, Julie’s leadership has moved Oliver Winery forward. Pat’s deep consumer goods expertise and connections will bring even more power to our brand.”
Brown succeeds Julie Adams as she works toward her planned retirement in 2025. In the coming year, Adams will oversee Oliver Winery operations as President. During the transition and after her retirement, Adams will continue as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
"For many years, we’ve been laying a foundation for Oliver to become the leader in sweet and flavored wine,” said Adams. “We have a tenured management team and many years of significant beverage experience on our board. Adding Pat Brown’s decades of leadership and his deep understanding of the CPG world is exciting. I’m confident he is the right leader for another incredible chapter in the Oliver Winery story."
About Oliver Winery
Founded in 1972, Bloomington-based Oliver Winery has been bringing thoughtful and flavorful innovations to the industry for 50+ years. Named the 30th largest winery in the U.S. by Wine Business Monthly, Oliver is a national brand with rising demand. Accelerated growth in recent years brought Oliver to 43 states, with an annual production of 725,000 cases. Oliver is one of Travel & Leisure’s top 25 wineries to visit in the U.S. The brand was named to Shanken’s Market Watch “Impact HOT Brand List” three consecutive years (2019, 2020, and 2021) and qualified as a Market Watch Blue Chip Brand in 2022. Oliver has recently invested in additional capacity and state-of-the-art production facility on its Bloomington, Ind. campus. Even as the company grows, Oliver remains true to its roots – producing refreshingly real, forward-thinking, approachable wines. Visit oliverwinery.com to learn more.
