Former Chief Operating Officer of AppHarvest Adds Her Expertise to Tractor’s Growing Team
HAYDEN, IDAHO, October 26, 2023 — Tractor Beverage Company, exclusive creator of the world’s only certified organic, non-GMO food service beverages, announced today the appointment of Julie Nelson to its executive team. Julie’s career, marked by her recent role as Chief Operating Officer at AppHarvest, further solidifies Tractor Beverage Company’s commitment to making organically-crafted, sustainably sourced beverages accessible to everyone, regardless of their dining preferences.
Julie brings over 25 years of experience in supply chain and operations, product commercialization, frontline sales and sales strategy. She most recently held the position of Chief Operating Officer at AppHarvest where she led the company’s operations. Prior to this, Julie helped consumer and industrial organizations navigate supply chain challenges during COVID-19 as an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company. Her extensive tenure at PepsiCo included such significant positions as Vice President of Global Operations and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives in the North American Beverages Supply Chain, demonstrating her ability to lead large organizations, manage cross-functional teams, and drive transformative change.
In her capacity as COO, Julie will lead the company’s Operations, Innovation, FSQA, Enterprise Projects and IT teams. “Julie’s reputation as a seasoned leader with a proven track record of success is what captured our attention,” said Kevin Sherman, CEO of Tractor Beverage Company. “But it’s her dedication to people and her passion for planetary wellness that convinced us she’s the right person for the organization as we continue to innovate and grow.”
“I’ve dedicated my career to optimizing the value chains of food and beverage companies, and I’m excited to partner with our Tractor team to scale our already efficient go-to-market model to enable growth,” offered Julie. “Our model is very flexible and agile and enables us to efficiently meet the needs of customers large and small. I’m inspired by Tractor’s commitment to meaningful change by promoting organic produce, supporting regenerative farming, and fostering clean, sustainable, and healthy farmland worldwide and I couldn’t be more thrilled to join a team that’s defining and driving the future of beverages.”
About Tractor Beverage Company:
Tractor Beverage Company is revolutionizing the beverage station as the only certified organic, non-GMO beverage solution for foodservice. Farmer-founded and employee-owned, Tractor is on a mission to create a cleaner, healthier planet, one drink at a time. Proudly served in 6,000 locations across all 50 states, Tractor’s handcrafted drinks feature clean ingredients that deliver on taste, functionality, and experience, without any of the bad stuff. Tractor is the first beverage brand to track and disclose impact data about its ingredients through the Organic Impact Tracker, quantifying the benefit of sourcing organic versus conventional ingredients. The company was included on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and on Fast Company’s 2021 list of the world’s most innovative companies. www.drinktractor.com
