Chobani, LLC, Norwich, NY has hired Tim Brown as president and COO—reporting to Hamdi Ulukaya, founder, owner, CEO and chairman—and will oversee Chobani’s operations, sales, marketing, legal and finance teams as the company looks to further increase its category leadership while continuing to deliver on its founding mission of making better food for more people.

Mr. Brown joins Chobani with more than 30 years of experience in the food business. Most recently for Nestle Waters North America, he led the third-largest non-alcoholic beverage company by volume in the U.S. Overseeing a portfolio of brands including Perrier, San Pellegrino and Poland Spring, he was responsible for $4.3 billion in annual net sales, supported by 8,500 employees, 29 plants and operations in more than 140 communities.

“Tim and I clicked the moment we met,” Mr. Ulukaya said. “He’s an amazing leader with views and values I really respect and believe in. With his deep experience in consistently delivering quality growth, he’s the perfect person to partner with me in continuing to lead the new wave of better food for more people. Chobani’s in a very strong position with greater potential than ever before and now with Tim joining we’ll grab it.”

Mr. Brown added: “Joining a company like Chobani to partner with someone like Hamdi and this great team is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve been following Chobani for years as they have changed the food landscape in this country. I’m thrilled and honored to be coming aboard at a time of such momentum and incredible potential.”

The company, which remains independently owned, has announced several product and production expansions in the past year. In May 2016, it announced a $100 million investment to its plant in Twin Falls, ID—the world’s largest yogurt manufacturing facility—to meet demand for new and existing products. On the heels of its Chobani “Flip” product success, Chobani also announced its expansion and investment beyond the yogurt aisle with Drink Chobani beverage. Chobani’s market-share of the overall spoonable yogurt category is currently 19.8, which translates to 37.6 share of overall Greek Yogurt. Topline sales growth percentage is up double digits year-over-year versus year prior. The company currently receives up to 5.5-million pounds of fresh milk from local farms in New York and Idaho every day and employs more than 2,000 people.