Kopper’s Chocolate Names New General Manager

CRANFORD, N.J. — Kopper’s Chocolate announced that it has appointed industry leader, Deborah Holt as General Manager of the Company. Holt will lead the 80 year old pan chocolate business, recently acquired by Nuts.com, in rebuilding Kopper’s as the pinnacle of excellence in the specialty confectionery world.

Ms. Holt was most recently Chief Marketing Officer of Marich Confectionery, a pan chocolate company based in Hollister, California, where she led the company’s brand and sales strategy since 2015. Prior to Marich, Holt was Chief Marketing Officer at barkTHINS snacking company, now owned by Hershey’s, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ciao Bella Gelato Company. At barkTHINS and Ciao Bella, Holt spearheaded brand strategy and growth across all channels, including  U.S. Retail Consumer Foods, Natural Foods, Export, Specialty and Gourmet Sales, and Marketing Services.

“Deborah brings to Kopper’s Chocolate, and the greater Nuts.com family, a wealth of experience leading brands from an early stage, designing highly competitive growth strategies for confection and snacking products while also understanding how to optimize the profitability of a legacy business,” said Jeff Braverman, CEO of Nuts.com. “Her leadership principles and ability to execute quickly are the right fit for Kopper’s Chocolate and will serve her well as a catalyst to drive explosive growth.”

“I am thrilled about the opportunity to lead this great team, given Kopper’s unparalleled legacy and reputation for innovation in panned chocolate,” said Ms. Holt. “No company is better positioned than Kopper’s to elevate the importance of taste and quality in today’s dynamic retail landscape, which is a credit to Jeff Braverman and his vision acquiring Kopper’s. I look forward to hitting the ground running to improve our execution and performance in the near term, while assessing the long-term strategic drivers for the brand.”

Ms. Holt has a distinguished track record as an inspirational leader in the natural and specialty food space. Holt is a former Board of Director of the Specialty Food Association, a panel speaker, mentor to new members and currently acts a council member on the Producer and Supplier Committee. Holt has also been recognized by Fair Trade USA as a Fair Trade Hero for her commitment to the movement. Under Holt’s stewardship barkTHINS, Ciao Bella and Marich joined the commitment to not only improving the lives of farmers but creating responsible sourcing and shared business value through the cocoa supply chain.  Holt earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in communications, with a minor in economics from North Carolina State University. She is also an alumnus to the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program.

About Kopper’s Chocolate

For the last 80 years, Kopper’s Chocolate has been one of the most respected specialty panners of artisan chocolates and specialty confections in the world. Every bite-size piece is truly a labor of love, and a work of art. Acquired by Nuts.com in 2016, Kopper’s is still third generation family owned and operated. Kopper’s is a six-time award winner for Fancy Food Show Chocolate Of The Year and continually strives to be an innovative chocolatier. For more information visit www.Kopperschocolate.com

About Nuts.com

Nuts.com, a family-owned company, was founded in 1929 by Poppy Sol as The Newark Nut Company. For three generations, we’ve been committed to re-stocking healthy pantries with the highest-quality nuts, dried fruit, snacks, and pantry staples. An ever-growing offering of more than 3,000 products includes artisan and hard-to-find products as well as hundreds of gluten-free and organic items, truly offering something for everyone. Even though a lot has changed over the past 88 years, Nuts.com still does things the “Old Fashioned Way,” buying directly from growers to source the best product and roasting nuts fresh for every order. Learn more about our nutty family by visiting Nuts.com.