Gourmet News

Pepsi Bottling Ventures Suffers Security Breach

Published July 6, 2023

Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC has revealed that a security breach occurred in December that may have involved some personal information provided by current and former employees and contractors of PBV.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures is an independent, privately-held bottler. No information owned by PepsiCo was affected.

On Jan. 10, Pepsi Bottling Ventures learned that unauthorized activity was reported on certain internal IT systems. PBV took prompt action to contain the incident and further strengthen the security of its networks. Based on its investigation, an unknown party accessed those systems on or around Dec. 23 and downloaded certain information contained in the accessed IT systems.

As of Jan. 19, PBV has detected no unauthorized activity.

The impacted information varies by individual, and may have included: first and last names (including individual and/or parents’ legal surname prior to marriage); home address; email address; financial account information (including a limited number of passwords, PIN codes or other access numbers); state and federal government issued identification numbers such as driver license numbers, ID cards, Social Security numbers and passport information; digital signatures; and information related to benefits and employment, including certain limited medical history, health and health insurance claims, and health insurance information such as policy numbers.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures promptly reported the incident to law enforcement, suspended all affected systems and investigated to understand the scope and impact of the incident. At this time, the company said it not aware of any identity theft or fraud involving an individual’s personal information.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures has secured the services of Kroll to provide identity monitoring at no cost for at least one year for those impacted. Identity monitoring services include credit monitoring, a current credit report, web watcher, public persona, Quick Cash Scan, $1 million identity fraud loss reimbursement, fraud consultation and identity theft restoration.

For those who may have been affected, the company advises promptly change username(s), password(s) and security question answer(s) for any accounts or account information maintained with Pepsi Bottling Ventures and take any other appropriate steps to protect all other online accounts that use the same username, password or security question answer.

Those seeking additional information may contact a toll-free call center at (866) 674-3149, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.

“PBV values the security and privacy of the information entrusted to us and deeply regrets this incident,” the company said in a statement.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC is a privately held manufacturer, seller and distributor of some of the most recognized beverage brands in the world. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., PBV has 19 locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.

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SEG Donates $750K to Folds of Honor

Published June 30, 2023

Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, has donated $750,000 to Folds of Honor, bolstering its support for the nonprofit by helping provide 150 educational scholarships to the children and spouses of fallen and disabled military members.

SEG’s donation was made possible thanks to generous customers and associates who donated and rounded up their grocery bills while shopping at their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores during the grocer’s sixth annual community donation program. All funds raised during the four-week donation program will directly support Folds of Honor in its mission to honor the sacrifice of America’s heroes by equipping and educating their loved ones.

Anthony Hucker, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said, “We are immensely grateful for the dedication and generosity our customers and associates have shown our military families through their support of Folds of Honor. It is inspiring to witness our communities joining together to create meaningful change – especially during these challenging economic times. Together, we have made a lasting difference in the lives of our heroes who have sacrificed so much for our everyday freedoms. Thank you for standing with us as we build a better, brighter future for all.”

Since the beginning of its partnership in 2018, SEG has donated more than $7.5 million to Folds of Honor with the help of its customers, associates and charitable arm, SEG Gives Foundation. The funds raised through SEG’s annual community donation programs have provided more than 1,500 educational scholarships for the children and spouses of fallen and disabled U.S. military service members.

Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, CEO and founder of Folds of Honor, said, “We can’t thank Southeastern Grocers and its communities enough for their continued support of our program. The unwavering patriotism we’ve seen over the course of our six-year partnership has made a profound impact on our mission and in the lives of our brave military families. It’s because of great American companies like Southeastern Grocers that we are able to provide educational opportunities to more and more deserving families each year.”

Scholarships awarded through Folds of Honor provide private education tuition and tutoring for children in grades K-12, as well as tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate or professional program. Folds of Honor has provided more than 44,000 educational scholarships for children, spouses and dependents of fallen and disabled military service members since its inception in 2007, and recently expanded its program to support first responder families.

SEG is also commemorating the red, white and blue by helping customers save on their Independence Day party essentials. Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores are offering great deals on steak, desserts and more, and open regular business hours on the Fourth of July for any last-minute needs; in-store pharmacies will close at 4 p.m. on the Fourth of July. For added convenience, participating Winn-Dixie stores and Harveys Supermarket locations are providing free curbside pickup and delivery options, where available, on orders of $35 or more for a limited time.

For more information on Fourth of July deals, customers are encouraged to stop in their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores, or visit www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.

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Black Rifle Coffee Changes Management Team

Published June 30, 2023

Black Rifle Coffee, a rapidly growing and mission-driven premium coffee company founded to support veterans, active-duty military, and first responders and serve a broad customer base by connecting consumers with great coffee anCd a unique brand experience, announced changes to its management team to strengthen its ability to drive profitable growth and serve customers. The company is also reaffirming 2023 full-year financial guidance previously provided on May 11.

Chief Marketing Officer Chris Mondzelewski has assumed the newly established role of president of Black Rifle Coffee. In this role, Mondzelewski will take on the responsibility of overseeing BRCC’s day-to-day operations, alongside his current duties as chief marketing officer. Mondzelewski joined BRCC in May following a nearly 12-year tenure at Mars, where he most recently led growth initiatives for the Global Petcare business as chief growth officer. Additionally, Mondzelewski will assume many of Chief Operating Officer Toby Johnson’s responsibilities, as she is departing the company to pursue other opportunities after building the foundation for BRCC’s entry into the FDM channel with bagged coffee and scaling the RTD coffee business in convenience stores.

The company also announced that, effective Aug. 13, Greg Iverson will step down from his role as chief financial officer and return to the education sector. Mark Weinsten, an experienced financial executive, will serve as the company’s interim CFO. Weinsten has been working closely with BRCC’s management team on various operational and productivity initiatives since February 2023 and his financial expertise, familiarity with BRCC’s operations, and experience serving in interim roles, including as CFO, position him to lead BRCC’s finance team during this interim period. The company is conducting a search for a permanent CFO.

“I want to thank Greg and Toby for the positive impact they have had on Black Rifle as we have transitioned from the private to public markets. The continued evolution of our management team and organizational structure will further leverage the strengths and expertise of the exceptional leaders we have within the organization, drive enhanced cohesion across our operations and create better opportunity for future growth,” commented founder and Co-CEO Evan Hafer.

Co-CEO Tom Davin commented, “Chris joined BRCC earlier this year and quickly made a positive impact on the Company. His appointment as president is recognition that his deep business and strategic expertise extends well beyond marketing, which is why we are expanding his scope to leverage his business development and operational capabilities. Our business continued to perform well in Q2, and I look forward to working alongside Chris and Mark and the rest of our Board and leadership team as we continue to capitalize on our strong brand momentum to drive industry leading growth in both revenue and profitability.”

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