Jeff Church

Jeff Church is an American entrepreneur and beverage industry executive who has co-founded, acquired, or led eight companies over a career spanning more than three decades.^[8] He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Suja Juice, the organic cold-pressed juice company he built from a $300,000 startup in 2012 into a brand generating over $100 million in annual revenue, attracting a $90 million minority investment from Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs in 2015, and ultimately selling for more than $300 million.^[13][16][2] He currently serves as co-founder and co-CEO of Proda, a protein-infused soda brand that launched at Sprouts Farmers Market in April 2026.^[1]

Before entering the beverage industry, Church spent over a decade in manufacturing and private equity. He served as president and general manager of multiple divisions at ERICO International Corporation, became president of his first business at age 27, and later founded a private equity firm through which he acquired and sold companies in manufacturing, consumer products, and finance.^[7][8] His transition to beverages began with NIKA Water Company, a social enterprise he co-founded that donated 100 percent of its profits to clean water projects.^[7] That venture introduced him to the beverage industry's distribution and retail dynamics, and led directly to Suja.^[9]

Church was named BevNET's Beverage Person of the Year in 2015 and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year for the San Diego region in 2016.^[13][7] Under his leadership, Suja was ranked No. 3 and then No. 2 on Forbes' list of America's Most Promising Companies in consecutive years, and was named the fastest-growing food and beverage brand in the United States by the Inc. 500.^[15][7][19] He co-authored the New York Times bestselling book The Suja Juice Solution.^[7] He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.^[19]

Church was born on August 24, 1961, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.^[7] His father was an accountant who rose to become a CFO, and Church worked at his father's company during summers as a child — an experience he has credited with instilling an early affinity for numbers.^[9] He enrolled at Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business, graduating in 1983 with a B.S. in Accounting.^[19] He was named one of the top 25 graduating seniors out of approximately 8,000 students.^[19]

After earning his CPA designation in 1985 while working at Ernst & Young, Church completed his MBA at Harvard Business School in 1988.^[7][19] While at Harvard, he and a classmate conducted a summer consulting project at ERICO International Corporation, a company with roughly 30 subsidiaries.^[9] Both turned down pre-arranged Wall Street positions to stay on and implement their recommendations — a decision Church has described as a deliberate choice to pursue general management over finance.^[9]

Ernst & Young and Morgan Stanley (1983–1988)

Church began his career at Ernst & Young in 1983 as an auditor and M&A associate, earning his CPA designation in 1985.^[7] He also held associate positions at Morgan Stanley before enrolling at Harvard Business School.^[8] The combination of accounting rigor and capital markets experience formed the financial foundation he would apply across subsequent ventures.^[8]

ERICO International Corporation (1988–1999)

After completing his Harvard MBA, Church joined ERICO International Corporation, a global manufacturer of electrical and construction products, where he served as president and general manager of multiple divisions, including president of North and South American operations.^[7][8] He became president of his first business at age 27.^[7] Over an approximately 11-year tenure, he developed operational expertise in supply chain management, production scaling, and multi-geography P&L oversight — skills he would later apply to consumer product companies.^[8]

Autus Capital (1999–2011)

Church founded Autus Capital, a private equity firm focused on acquisitions of middle-market manufacturing and distribution companies.^[8] Through the firm, he acquired, built, and sold several companies, including Universal Building Products, Aztec Concrete Accessories, Lynx Professional Grills, and a pool table manufacturer.^[8][7] Over this period, Church completed more than 45 fundraising rounds across his career and returned approximately $700 million to investors at a median return multiple of 3.5x.^[19]

NIKA Water Company (2007–2013)

While still running Autus Capital, Church co-founded NIKA Water Company, a premium bottled water brand built on a social entrepreneurship model that donated 100 percent of its profits to clean water projects and poverty alleviation.^[7] NIKA partnered with Free the Children and built a K-8 school in Pimbinet, Kenya, for 500 students, installed a clean water system, and provided micro-credit lending for village mothers.^[7] The venture resulted in the publication of a book, Thirst for Change, and introduced Church to the beverage industry's retail and distribution dynamics.^[7]

Suja Juice (2012–2019)

In 2012, Church co-founded Suja Juice alongside Eric Ethans, Annie Lawless, James Brennan, and Brian Ethans.^[15][7] The company began with $300,000 and a cold-pressed green juice with a four-day shelf life.^[9] The founding story was improbable: Ethans and Lawless had been hand-delivering Igloo coolers of cold-pressed juice to local San Diego customers without a scalable business model.^[15] Co-founder James Brennan, an early customer, introduced them to Church, who brought operational and financial experience from two decades in manufacturing and private equity.^[15]

Church's pivotal contribution was identifying high-pressure processing (HPP), a method of killing pathogens without heat that extended cold-pressed juice shelf life tenfold without altering taste.^[15][13] HPP made national retail distribution viable for a product that had previously been limited to local delivery.^[15] By 2014, Suja was producing 275,000 bottles per week and had entered 1,200 Target stores with its Essentials line.^[15][14] That year, Forbes ranked Suja No. 3 on its list of America's Most Promising Companies; in 2015, it moved to No. 2.^[7]

In August 2015, Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs acquired a 30 percent minority stake in Suja for approximately $90 million, valuing the company at $300 million.^[13] The deal expanded Suja's distribution by up to 50 percent through Odwalla's refrigerated truck network.^[13] Church served as sole CEO for eight years, during which Suja reached over $100 million in annual revenue and $25 million in EBITDA.^[2][19] The brand was named the fastest-growing food and beverage company in the United States by the Inc. 500 in 2016, and the 13th fastest-growing business overall.^[19] Whole Foods Market named Suja its Supplier of the Year.^[7]

Church departed Suja in 2019.^[9] The company was acquired by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners in 2021 and sold in 2022 for more than $300 million.^[16][9] As of 2026, Suja generates approximately $350 million in annual revenue.^[2]

Rowdy Energy (2019–2024)

After departing Suja, Church co-founded Rowdy Energy with two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.^[9][11] The brand — named after Busch's racing nickname — was positioned as a better-for-you energy drink featuring natural caffeine from green tea, the nootropic L-Theanine, electrolytes, and natural sweeteners.^[9] Rowdy launched in 2020 and achieved distribution in more than 50,000 stores within two years.^[9] The company raised a $13 million Series A in May 2021 from investors including The Kraft Group and CircleUp, with total funding reaching approximately $16 million.^[9]

Despite the distribution footprint, Rowdy Energy ceased operations in January 2024, less than four years after launch.^[9][17] Church has stated publicly that he lost more than $4 million of his own capital in the venture.^[11] He has spoken candidly about the failure in industry forums, contrasting Rowdy's trajectory with Suja's and using the experience as a case study in what separates a brand that scales from one that does not.^[9][17]

Proda (2025–present)

In 2025, Church co-founded Proda with British actor and wellness entrepreneur Matthew Postlethwaite, known for his role in the BBC/Netflix series Peaky Blinders.^[1][2] The two spent more than 18 months and over 1,000 hours in research and development to solve a core technical challenge: most proteins break, cloud, or create off-notes in carbonated beverages.^[2] They selected clear whey protein isolate to achieve a crisp, carbonated result — each 12-ounce can delivers 10 grams of complete whey protein isolate, 3 grams of fiber, zero sugar, and approximately 45 calories.^[3][1] The brand launched in seven flavors: Classic Orange, Shirley Temple, Cherry Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Golden Apple, and Root Beer.^[1]

Proda launched exclusively at Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide on April 1, 2026, at $3.49 per can, with simultaneous direct-to-consumer availability on Amazon and TikTok Shop.^[1] Church has described the go-to-market strategy as deliberately disciplined — focused on building velocity in a single retail partner before expanding distribution — a lesson he has attributed to his experience at both Suja and Rowdy.^[2] The brand was featured at Expo West 2026 and covered by BevNET, Beverage Daily, Food Business News, and Beverage Industry.^{[5][6][2][3][4]}

Church has framed the protein soda category as a structural opportunity comparable to the rise of energy drinks, noting that the U.S. energy drink market grew to $20 billion by displacing roughly one-third of traditional soda volume.^[2] He has estimated the addressable market for protein soda at approximately 50 million U.S. consumers — the overlap of the 60 percent of adults who take a protein supplement and the 50 percent who drink soda.^[2]

Church was named BevNET's Beverage Person of the Year in 2015, recognizing his role in building Suja Juice into one of the fastest-growing beverage brands in the United States.^[13] He received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the San Diego region in 2016.^[7] Under his leadership, Suja was ranked No. 3 on Forbes' 2014 list of America's Most Promising Companies and No. 2 in 2015.^[7] The Inc. 500 named Suja the fastest-growing food and beverage brand in the United States in 2016 and the 13th fastest-growing business overall.^[19] Whole Foods Market named Suja its Supplier of the Year during Church's tenure.^[7]

Church co-authored The Suja Juice Solution, which reached the New York Times bestseller list.^[7] He has been a keynote speaker at BevNET Live and has appeared on Taste Radio, BevNET's flagship podcast, at least three times — in 2017 during the Suja era, in 2024 for a post-mortem on Suja and Rowdy Energy, and in 2026 for the Proda launch at Expo West.^{[8][20][9][5]} In 2025, he was invited to speak at Michigan State University's Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in a session titled "Two Strikes to Success."^[19]

Church resides in Rancho Santa Fe, California, with his wife Linda.^[7] They have four children.^[7] He is an endurance athlete and mountaineer who has run more than 50 marathons and five ultra-marathons, and has climbed five of the seven summits — the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.^[7][19]