Zak Normandin

Zak Normandin
Born (1984-01-29) January 29, 1984
Leominster, MA
Residence Brooklyn, NY
Nationality American
Alma mater Franklin Pierce University (BS)
Occupation CEO at Dirty Lemon Beverages
Children 3
Website www.redwoodnewyork.com

Zak Normandin (Jan 29th, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and the current CEO and co-founder of the NYC-based functional beverage brand, Dirty Lemon Beverages [1][2] He had previously founded Little Duck Organics,[3] a privately held New York City based company focused on organic children's snacks.[4] Normandin is best known for innovative consumer product package designs, advocacy of organic food products and development of the text-message based payment and customer service platform for Dirty Lemon Beverages.[5][6]

Early Life & Career

Normandin was born in Leominster, MA. He began his career as a Marine Engineer in the United States Coast Guard. The inspiration to create a food company came after becoming a father, when he was unable to find healthy, sugar-free foods for his children.[3][7] He started Little Duck Organics in his basement in 2009.[8][9] The brand quickly gained popularity and helped him in raising funding rounds from notable angel investors and venture capitalists including Chris Burch and Tom First.[10]

In 2011, at Natural Products Expo East, he was awarded Best Packaging for a design Normandin created for the Tiny Fruits product line.[11] In 2012, Little Duck Organics was recognized in a round-up of the "World's Most Dazzling Trade-Show Exhibits" with Nintendo, Nike, and Red Bull.[12] In 2013, Little Duck Organics won the Most Innovative Award at Expo West 2013. Later in 2013, his company was awarded with the New Arrival Award - Best New Products of 2013, for its new product Mighty Oats.[6][13]

Normandin worked on Plantable packaging for his product Mighty Oats that can yield vegetables if planted. As of 2014, Under his leadership, Little Duck Organics achieved a retail presence in more than 30 countries.[14] In 2014, Normandin sold majority control of Little Duck Organics, and left the company to start a creative agency and product development house.[15] In 2015, along with Sommer Carroll, Normandin co-founded Dirty Lemon Beverages, a functional beverage brand.[16] Dirty Lemon is a direct-to-consumer beverage company with products which are only available via text message, using a technology ideated by Normandin.[17] As of March 2016, the brand's products were sold in 10 countries.[18]

References

  1. http://www.bevnet.com/news/2015/charcoal-on-call-dirty-lemon-water-launches-on-instagram
  2. Erin Magner (7 March 2016). "Detox drink sensation Dirty Lemon is cleaning up your hair and skin next".
  3. 1 2 Kolodny, Lora (5 December 2013). "Fatherhood Inspires Little Duck's Healthy Snacks for Kids". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. "Little Duck Organics Founder On Being A Dad And An Entrepreneur – with Zak Normandin". Mixergy. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. Hendrickson, Dyke (March 22, 2012). "'Little Duck' a strong swimmer". Daily News of Newburyport. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Spinner, Jenni (October 20, 2011). "Little Duck Organics wins best packaging honors at Expo East". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  7. Blum, Brian (April 28, 2013). "Abe's Market: natural, organic, and founded in Israel". Israel21c. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. "Little Ducks Organics Baby Food". Babble. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. Goldberg, Max (April 26, 2012). "Little Duck Organics is a Real Winner for Kids…. and Parents". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  10. Jane Wakefield, Kylie (4 June 2014). "Little Duck Organics' Natural Road to Success". Greenpoint Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  11. Kuchler, Hannah (14 May 2014). "Tech start-ups to look out for". Financial Times. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  12. "If you want big rewards, you have to take risks.". Think Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. Wimberly, Rachel (September 27, 2011). "Natural Products Expo East Grows After Return to Baltimore". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. "Little Duck Organics is Moving Forward with Organic Baby Foods". Under30ceo.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  15. "The National Parenting Publications Awards". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  16. Abby Reisner (3 February 2016). "The dirty lemon water cleanse".
  17. Marina Kennedy (10 November 2015). "Zak Normandin Founder of DIRTY LEMON DETOX".
  18. Meredith Deliso (8 March 2016). "Juice cleanse company Dirty Lemon continues to grow".

Official website

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