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Our Team
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Darin Ezra - CEO
Darin brings over
a decade of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods
(CPG) industry. Darin founded SunWorld International
(SunWorld), a company that specialized in the import
and distribution of CPG brands. SunWorld acquired the
import and distribution rights for top selling U.S. brands
in Southern Africa, including Celestial Seasonings, Ice
Drops and Energy Now (a top selling energy tablet in
the U.S.). After two years of operating and growing the
company, Darin sold his interest in SunWorld to IS Distributors
(IS), the agent for The Dial Soap Company and Freeman
Cosmetics, in order to relocate his business to the U.S.
Darin formed Big Brands, which manufactured and distributed
CPG brands in 30 states and abroad. Darin’s responsibilities
included all design, development, packaging, marketing,
and operations of the business. Big Brands successfully
launched Mad Bull Energy Drink in the U.S., then developed
and launched the popular Wild Buzz Energy Drink. After
selling his interest in Big Brands, Darin launched several
successful beverage brands, including Go Girl Energy
Drink and Kabbalah Energy Drink, and is a sought after
consultant in the beverage industry.
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Martin Molina - COO
Martin manages all
strategic marketing efforts for Power Brands. Martin
brings over 14 years of food & beverage marketing experience with industry powerhouses such as Nestle USA and Pepsi. Martin began his CPG career as a research analyst with A.C. Nielsen before joining Nestle USA and progressing through brand management ranks on brands including Nestle Sweet Success, Nestle Carnation Baby Formula and Nestle Carnation Baby Cereal. Martin’s
beverage experience includes over four years of channel
marketing experience within the Pepsi Cola system. Most
recently, Martin led the strategic marketing efforts
for Light Force Water Source, a start-up incubator for
new energy drink brands and has led operations at Power
Brands since its inception in 2006.
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Marty Brown – President
Marty is the newest member of the Power Brands team. Marty comes to us after spending 8 years as the Western Region Sales Manager for Rexam Beverage Can Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum beverage cans. The total annual sales volume he managed in this region exceeded 6 Billion cans and ends, worth over $500 million. While at Rexam, Marty was instrumental in launching Rexam’s SLEEK™ line of cans in America, and brought in over 20 new customers into this package. Additionally, he sold Hansen’s Beverage Company on putting their Monster™ Energy Drink into Rexam’s new 24oz Cap Can™, the first re-sealable aluminum beverage can in America. Previously, Marty held various management positions for over 16 years at Procter & Gamble, one of the world’s largest consumer products company. At P&G, Marty gained experience in both the retail consumer products industry and the Foodservice and Lodging industry. His customer’s included Lucky Supermarkets (American Stores), Safeway, Fleming, International Dairy Queen, and the PepsiCo Restaurant Division (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken). Marty spent almost 6 years in the US Army, rising to the rank of Captain in the Air Defense Artillery branch. He has an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and an M.B.A. Degree from the University of California, Irvine.
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Niyati Parikh – Beverage Scientist
With a Masters in
Food Science and Technology from the University of New
South Wales, Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from St. Xavier’s College, India, Niyati brings exceptional academic credentials to the Power Brands Food Science division. Niyati’s
extensive knowledge of beverage processing, preservatives,
extracts, flavors, coloring, and natural and organic
ingredients, allows her to provide expert guidance to
clients and develop exceptional formulations in the lab.
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Joseph O'Dea - Beverage Scientist
Joseph brings over six years of experience in the flavor and beverage development industry. Graduating from Elon University he went directly into the flavor industry at Flavor Producers Incorporated. In his five years working on flavor development he became familiar with all aspects of flavor creation. He has formulated hundreds of flavor prototypes for a diverse range of products. His flavors can be seen in many commercial food and beverage products. Now he is proud to produce superior tasting beverages on behalf of Power Brands clients for any application or market.
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Michele Rae - Project Manager
Michele brings over 12 years of consumer packaged goods experience to the Power Brands team, most recently in the Natural Skin Care industry. Michele's team leadership experience spans functional areas such as New Product Development, Purchasing, Research and Development, and Quality Control. Michele's responsibilities also included the launch of numerous new product introductions utilizing the most innovative and cutting edge ingredients.
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Peichi Lu - Project Manager
With dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Food Science and Nutrition Dietetics from California State University, Northridge, Peichi brings significant academic credentials to the Power Brands team. She worked in Quality Assurance, Microbial Testing, and Beverage Development for three years with Flavor Producers and Power Brands. She now serves as Project Manager on the Power Brands team, guiding clients through the beverage formulation process and providing expertise in beverage packaging, manufacturing, ingredients, and labeling. Peichi has excellent customer service skills and is fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and English.
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Andrew Gibbs – Creative Director
Andrew brings a wealth of creativity as well as significant brand packaging design experience to the Power Brands design team. Andrew is the Founder & Editor in Chief of TheDieline.com, the world's leading package design website. The Dieline quickly established itself as a major influence in the package design field and is the go-to website for the latest trends and designs. Andrew's first book on packaging design will be released early next year internationally. Andrew studied graphic design at the Art Institute of California.
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Araceli Rosales – Graphic Designer
Araceli received her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design from The Art Institute of California-Orange County and has worked in graphic design for non-profit organizations such as Women Helping Women and consumer goods packaging, including private label brands for national accounts such as Target USA, Target Australia, Wal-Mart USA, and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Araceli is an extremely creative designer with great people skills and she is fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
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Jen Saldivar – Lab Technician
Jen is one of Power Brands top Lab Technicians with over two years experience. Jen began her career at Power Brands and has shown great skill in lab work, including recipe development, prototype development, and batching calculations. Her dedication has allowed Power Brands to add faster prototype production to its many other features.
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