Cove Soda Names Bryan Crowley As New CEO

HALIFAX — On Jan. 15, Cove Soda announced the appointment of Bryan Crowley as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. He is joined by Craig Olikiewicz as Chief Commercial Officer and Joe Lee as Chief Operating Officer, forming a leadership team to try and guide Cove’s expansion across North America.

Crowley brings experience across food, beverage, and consumer brands, spanning early-stage innovators and global category leaders. Most recently, he served as CEO and Board Member of G FUEL. He previously partnered with serial beverage entrepreneur Lance Collins to launch and lead Casa Azul Spirits and ZenWTR, helping to scale both brands.

“Functional soda has moved from an emerging trend to a high-growth category that demands creative brand building and disciplined execution,” said Crowley. “Founders John and Ryan MacLellan have built a great-tasting product and an authentic brand with real consumer love. The opportunity now is to scale that foundation thoughtfully and build a business designed for longevity.”

Founded in 2017 by two brothers at a local farmers’ market, Cove Soda is a functional soda brand offering a low-sugar beverage.

Crowley’s prior experience includes serving as CEO and Board Director of Casa Azul Spirits, CEO and Board Member of Soylent, Co-Founder and Board Member of Flying Embers, Chief Strategy Officer of KeVita (acquired by PepsiCo), President of VEEV Spirits (acquired by Luxco), Chief Marketing Officer of Pabst Brewing Company, and Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Mars, Inc.

Joining Crowley is Craig Olikiewicz as new Chief Commercial Officer, a seasoned sales and commercial executive with experience across beverages, energy, and CPG. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Nutrabolt.

“Craig is a proven commercial leader who understands how to build brands at scale,” said Crowley. “He brings a disciplined, data-driven approach to growth and the relationships needed to win at shelf. I have seen firsthand how he elevates teams and delivers results and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Cove also announced that Joe Lee joined the company as Chief Operating Officer in spring 2025. Lee brings global operations and supply chain leadership across CPG brands, positioning Cove to scale if demand accelerates.

In November, Cove also announced a $15 million USD Series A financing, led by Vanterra Ventures, with participation from RiverPark Ventures, The Palm Tree Crew, Simple Food Ventures, Diplo, Miles Teller, The Chainsmokers, Michael Rubin and others. The funding supports Cove’s attempted growth across North America, new flavours, and the expansion of its leadership and operational teams.

“With this leadership team in place and strong investor backing, Cove is entering its next chapter,” Crowley added. “This is just the beginning.”