Better Sour taps Shawn Gardner as chief growth officer
The new hire brings extensive snack and candy company experience to the role.
Shawn Gardner. Courtesy of Better Sour
Better Sour has announced the appointment of longtime CPG veteran and former Ritter Sport USA executive Shawn Gardner as its first chief growth officer, overseeing all sales and growth strategy for the globally-inspired sour candy company. The appointment comes amidst a period of growth, with Better Sour adding a bevy of new retail banners this fall including Total Wine & Spirits, Mother’s Market, Kinney Drugs, Giant Eagle’s Market District banners, iHerb, and select Raley’s, amongst others.
Gardner is a CPG executive with over 30 years of leadership, sales, and marketing experience. Most recently, he served as general manager, U.S. business unit, of Ritter Sport USA, where he led a team that delivered double-digit growth across key retail channels. Prior to that, he held key leadership roles with ProBar, That’s it., and Perfect Bar.
“We’re delighted to add Shawn to our team as we enter our next stage of growth, introducing over the next 6-12 months more SKUs than we’ve launched since inception of the brand in 2023,” shares Semira Nikou, co-founder and CEO, Better Sour. "Shawn brings an incredible wealth of experience not just to CPG, but also from early-stage startups, to established confectionary giants, and is going to be integral leading our sales and growth strategy as we closeout 2025 and plan for what is shaping up to be our biggest year yet."
Better Sour is now available in retailers across all 50 states, as well as on select United Airlines routes and at Thrive and Misfits Market.
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