Josh Kohnstamm, founder and CEO of Kohnstamm Communications and one of the forerunners in providing public relations counsel to natural and organic brands, will retire at the end of 2020 from broadhead.
During his career, Kohnstamm has guided public relations campaigns for more than 100 natural and organic brands, launching and marketing now-familiar names including Happy Baby, Noosa Yoghurt, MOM Brands, Naked Juice and Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP. Kohnstamm was a founding shareholder for organic beverage maker Honest Tea, which was sold to The Coca-Cola Company in 2011. The national brand awareness that Kohnstamm and his team created for these brands often helped forge new consumer categories within the food industry and resulted in the acquisition of a spate of pioneering brands.
Kohnstamm has also been a frequent speaker and participant at Natural Products Expo West, and will continue to be a food industry advisor for Boston investment banking firm Silverwood Partners, lending his expertise to help emerging natural and organic brands leverage PR and marketing to be positioned for success in a dynamic and competitive industry.
“My career has witnessed the ascendency of better-for-you products and the strategic marketing behind their success,” said Kohnstamm. “When I started, ‘Big Food’ was king and marketing an after-thought. It is gratifying to see the emergence of healthier brands and the decades-long conversation around ‘food as medicine’ really pay off, and for the largest food companies to so fully embrace health, wellness and climate stewardship as their mandate.”
“Josh is an icon and has been a passionate voice in the natural and organic food space for a generation,” said Dean Broadhead, chief executive officer at broadhead. “It’s been a pleasure having him on our team. He and his team’s expertise in food and beverage has been invaluable to our organization as we continue to grow our footprint in the consumer food space.”
Upon his retirement, Josh looks forward to becoming more deeply involved in three causes: ReConnect Rondo, the effort by St. Paul’s historically black community to “cap” I-94 and create an African American culture and enterprise zone; Pathfinder International, serving on the President’s Council of this international reproductive rights organization; and Macalester College, helping to formalize the school’s first generation student support initiative. Josh also hopes to continue mentoring marketing and communications students who seek entry into the natural products industry, and to spend more time at his 66-acre hobby farm in southern Minnesota which is home to 19 rescued wild mustangs.
Check out Josh’s advice for food marketers in broadhead’s latest edition of Onward, an exclusive content series authored by broadhead’s thought leaders, highlighting their unique perspectives on adapting, adjusting and pushing forward.