July 17/Los Angeles/PRNewswire -- Gizmo Beverages announces the addition of Mark Weslar to its leadership team. Weslar, who will act as chief marketing officer, joins recently appointed senior vice president of Sales, Brad Foster, and company co-founders Walter Apodaca and Don Park as the company continues its expansion. Gizmo Beverages holds the patent on "the Gizmo Closure and Delivery System," a pressurized bottle cap design that infuses and instantly mixes a drink with fresh, preservative-free liquid ingredients upon opening. The first application of this technology, Tea of a Kind, has already proven itself a high performer in the category, winning the Best Ready-to-Drink Tea Beverage at the 2012 Interbev Awards; Best Iced Tea at the 2013 North American Tea Championships, and most recently received a SELF Magazine Healthy Food Award for Best Iced Tea.

Weslar is a seasoned CPG marketer, having held brand leadership roles at major companies including MillerCoors, Coors Brewing Company, Kraft Foods and Nabisco. He comes to Gizmo from MillerCoors, where he restored the Coors Light brand to industry leading growth, helping it become the #2 beer brand in the U.S. and #1 across many U.S. markets. As brand director, he defined the brand's distinct positioning of Rocky Mountain Cold Refreshment and successfully launched many package innovations, including Cold Activated Bottles and Cans. During his tenure on Coors Light, Weslar generated 13% growth and $470 million in incremental revenue.

Weslar joins Gizmo Beverages as they continue to demonstrate strong growth in the rapidly expanding categories of "functional" and "all-natural" beverage. Partnering with Southern Wines & Spirits (the largest privately held beverage wholesaler in the country), Gizmo has experienced early success in Tea of a Kind's first four markets -- California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.  Weslar will develop campaigns to increase consumer awareness of Tea of a Kind's unique proposition and the "powered by Gizmo" experience it delivers. Beyond Tea of a Kind, Weslar will champion Gizmo's next two projects utilizing its patented closure on a functional water brand and a RTD cocktail brand, both launching in 2014.  Additionally, Weslar will lead efforts to secure future licensing agreements for the Gizmo closure and enhance equity in the "powered by Gizmo" brand as it extends into new food and beverage applications.