Consumer Trends in Food & Beverage: Maintaining an Appetite Amidst Turbulence

Jared co-founded Monogram in 2014. He is responsible for originating new investment opportunities, diligence and structuring potential investments, and working alongside our partner companies. Additionally, Jared helps oversee the strategy and management of the firm and serves on the Boards of Foxtrot, Olipop, Planet Fitness Atlantic, Genexa, Country Archer, among others, alongside leading the firm’s investments in Oatly and Chewy.com.

Prior to Monogram, Jared was with Golden Gate Capital, a leading private equity firm, where he was a member of the firm’s consumer and retail team and led investments in and supported six market-leading retailers. Jared previously worked at Huntsman Gay Global Capital, a $1+ billion debut fund.

Prior to HGGC, Jared was a generalist in the private equity practice of Bain Capital, a leading alternative asset management firm. He began his career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, working in the firm’s consumer / retail and technology industry groups.

Jared earned a B.A. in economics from Duke University (summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa) and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Eugene Kang first discovered Country Archer jerky being sold by a butcher and artisan named Celestino "Charlie" Mirarchi at a roadside stand on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Proclaiming it the "most amazingly delicious jerky" he'd ever tasted, Kang left college to found Country Archer Jerky Co. in 2011, with Mirarchi and cofounder Susan Kang, and spent a year apprenticing with an artisan butcher to perfect the art of jerky making.

Country Archer is now in 25,000 stores across the U.S., including Starbucks and Whole Foods, and just launched in Canada. The company has about $21 million in funding and is on track to see $35 million in revenue this year

Bill Moses is an influential leader, proven innovator, and inspiring mentor in the beverage industry. He is the Founder & CEO of Fermented Sciences Inc.(FSI), steering the helm of a cutting-edge, innovation lab that's transforming the alcohol industry with “better-for-you” products. Flying Embers, a hand-crafted, hard beverage brand platform, sprung from Bill's cutting edge work at Fermented Sciences Inc. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Flying Embers Alcohol Beverages, as well.

Launched in 2018, Flying Embers has developed a leading portfolio of great-tasting fermented botanical brews with certified organic ingredients and functional benefits. Under Bill's leadership, the company set out to create both a conscious movement and platform that gives consumers better wellness choices, even when it comes to alcohol. Since its inception, Flying Embers has expanded its product selection, scaled to over 120 distributors across the United States, and positioned the brand to successfully disrupt the $600+ billion global beer market.

Prior to Fermented Sciences Inc. and Flying Embers, Bill was the Co-Founder, former Chairman, and CEO of KeVita Probiotic Drinks, a high-growth beverage brand acquired by PepsiCo Inc. in Dec. 2016. Launched in 2010, Bill helped the brand achieve epic results, growing KeVita from a small California brand to an international leader sold in 20,000+ retail locations across North America. Prior, he established CASA BARRANCA Organic Winery, California's Central Coast first USDA certified organic winery and vineyard in 2001.

Bill's financial acumen and decisive judgment in an ever-changing consumer product goods landscape, has his leadership sought out by the leading competitive players and brand disruptors. An established brand-builder, Bill serves as a strategic advisor, principal shareholder, and board member of Wilde Brands, paleo protein chip snack, Koia Plant-Based Protein Drink, and Executive Chairman of Iconic Protein Beverage.

Bill's innate competitive spirit, drive, and focus can be accredited to the roles that afforded him opportunities to excel early in his career. Having accrued over 25 years of business and finance experience, Moses' career began at Bear Stearns, Inc. He served as a Partner of Axiom Partners, LTD. a New York investment banking & brokerage firm. He was co-founder and CEO of Recovery Television Network & RNetHealth.com, which sold to Liberty Media. He is an Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and served as Honorary Chair of Cable Positive, the telecom’s industry’s AIDS-action NGO.

Jason Stamm leads category strategy and investments in emerging beverage brands as Principal in the PepsiCo Ventures Group. The PepsiCo Ventures Group is focused on identifying, securing, and nurturing PepsiCo's partnerships with emerging Food & Beverage companies, simultaneously positioning PepsiCo to capitalize on trends and strengthen marketplace positions.

Jason joined PepsiCo in September, 2021. Prior to taking on this role, Jason worked at AB InBev, where he had the opportunity to take on numerous challenges globally. He previously led Innovation Strategy & Portfolio for ABI’s Europe Zone, where he focused on the growth of the company’s non-alcoholic beer portfolio across Europe. Jason was also an early member of the ABI’s global disruptive innovation unit, ZX Ventures. There, he co-founded AB InBev’s first organically developed startup, Canvas, a nutritious smoothie made with spent grain. Jason also led the development of nutritious RTDs for the South Africa and Mozambique markets.

Jason earned his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

David Sutton is a leader in GHJ’s Advisory Practice with more than 15 years of experience across mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and technology. Originally from the U.K., David’s advisory experience includes work across the retail, technology, distribution, manufacturing and real estate sectors. David leads GHJ’s M&A projects and oversees all of GHJ’s cyber security engagements.

Prior to joining GHJ in 2017, David provided performance improvement, restructuring and turnaround advice to companies and their stakeholders. David previously advised on transactions ranging from $10 million to $1 billion across industries including manufacturing, consumer products, food and beverage, transport and logistics, entertainment and media and others. David was previously an Aerospace Engineer with the U.K. Ministry of Defense.

David earned his master’s in Electronic Engineering from the University of Leeds and studied at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also a certified Fellow Chartered Accountant in the U.K. and a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and is currently pursuing his master’s in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. David is an avid Formula One fan, holds his private pilot license and plays a variety of musical instruments. David is married with two children and lives in Los Angeles’ South Bay.