Smith Teamaker
Erik Gottschalk, MBA, holds extensive experience in production and operations management within the food industry. Currently, Erik serves as the Vice President of Production at Smith Teamaker since February 2025. Prior roles include Director of Plant Operations at CTI Foods, Director of Supply Chain and Manufacturing Operations at Thaiwala, and Manager of Maintenance Systems at Genentech. Erik has also held significant positions at Pacific Foods, including Vice President of Operations and Director of Quality Assurance, as well as Operations Manager at Harry's Fresh Foods and Director of Operations at Javo Beverage Company. Additionally, Erik's earlier career includes the role of Director of Manufacturing at Oregon Chai and engineering positions at Pacific Foods. Erik holds an Executive MBA from the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Food Science from Washington State University.
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Smith Teamaker
At Smith Teamaker, we enrich lives through exceptional tea experiences. We craft tea and other plant-based beverages steeped in quality and creativity. Elevated, but always accessible, our aim is to be the daily craving of consumers with uncompromising taste. We bring this vision to life through three strategic imperatives: Serve MorePeopleOur product collections are designed to elevate the taste standard of core beverage occasions – hot or cold, home or away – continually building our reputation for quality, creativity, and great taste. With a deep focus on consumer needs, we balance daily favorites with unrivaled innovation to reach new consumers and build frequent consumption habits. Our growth comes primarily from direct hospitality and digital experiences where guests develop deep loyalty as they immerse themselves in our brand. We leverage premium Restaurants, Offices, and Retailers to extend our access to new consumers and households, both domestically and in select international markets.Enhance ProductivityWe source the highest quality ingredients from sustainable farms, leveraging deep relationships and our growing scale to capture superior quality with limited working capital. Our vertically integrated blending, packing and logistics operations allow us to ensure quality and differentiation while delivering cost efficiency and agility. We know that exceptional experiences come from exceptional people, so we actively build the capabilities of our teamakers, all of whom share a commitment to our head, heart, and hustle culture. Protect our PlanetOur ability to enrich lives is directly linked to the sustainability of our planet. We are committed to making a positive impact in our world by providing safe, plant-based products; eliminating waste; and actively supporting the protection of clean water, sustainable farms, and the communities that nurture them.Together, these efforts enable us to create enterprise value well ahead of the category and ensure the sustainability of the business we have created.