The former Coca-Cola executive will lead marketing and creative teams for the US dairy giant and specialty coffee group La Colombe Coffee Roasters, which it acquired for $900m in December 2023
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Chobani’s limited-edition seasonal Chobani and La Colombe product range | Photo credit: Chobani
New York-based dairy giant Chobani has appointed Jai Kibe as Chief Marketing Officer.
In a press release, Chobani said Kibe will oversee all marketing activations and partnerships for Chobani and La Colombe Coffee Roasters and focus on enhancing digital first consumer and customer engagement across both brands. Reporting to Chobani Chief Operating Officer Kevin Burns, Kibe is also tasked with scaling the company’s analytics and consumer insights capabilities.
“Jai is known for inspiring creativity, energising brands, and bringing a disciplined, metrics-based approach to strategy. His leadership will be instrumental in driving the next phase of our growth as we work to expand awareness beyond today’s core consumer segments. I’m excited to partner with Jai to create deeper and more meaningful consumer connections to unleash the potential of the Chobani and La Colombe brands,” Burns said.
Chobani has been seeking a new Chief Marketing Officer position since Thomas Ranese left the business in April 2024 to take up another CMO role at global investment firm, KKR.
Chobani acquired specialty coffee roaster and 32-store café chain La Colombe Coffee Roasters for $900m in December 2023. While Pennsylvania-based La Colombe continues to operate as an independent entity, the deal enables the specialty coffee group to utilise Chobani’s extensive distribution network, which comprises over 95,000 US retail locations, including major supermarket chains Walmart, Whole Foods, Target and Kroger.
In April 2024, La Colombe expanded its ready-to-drink (RTD) retail coffee range with new 11oz Draft Latte cans – the first product launch under Chobani’s leadership.
Kibe joins Chobani from global management consulting firm Gartner, where he served as an Executive Partner and CMO Advisory. His senior marketing experience also includes Marketing and Brand Director roles at The Coca-Cola Company and household cleaning group SC Johnson.