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Zak Normandin

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Zak Normandin
Born (1984-01-29) January 29, 1984 (age 40)
Leominster, MA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materFranklin Pierce University (BS)
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • Product designer
Known forIris Nova, DIRTY LEMON, Little Duck Organics
Children3
Websitewww.irisnova.com

Zak Normandin (born January 29, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and product designer who served as Founder and CEO of Iris Nova until the company ceased operations in 2022. Iris Nova was the parent company of NYC-based beverage brand DIRTY LEMON.[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 conversational commerce platform used by DIRTY LEMON, and the portfolio of Iris Nova beverage brands.[5][6]

Early life and career

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Normandin was born in Leominster, MA. He began his career as a Marine Engineer in the United States Coast Guard. The idea for the food company developed from the observation that there was a lack of healthy, sugar-free food options available for children.[3][7] He started Little Duck Organics in his basement in 2009.[8][9]

Shortly after its launch, the brand received funding from 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 featured in a roundup of prominent trade-show exhibits alongside Nintendo, Nike, and Red Bull.[12] In 2011, Little Duck Organics received the "Best Packaging" award at Expo East for their new packaging designs for organic children snacks.[6][13]

Normandin developed Plantable packaging for their product, which contains seeds that can grow into vegetables when 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, Normandin co-founded DIRTY LEMON, which received notable attention from celebrities such as KKate Hudson, Karlie Kloss, Mindy Kaling, and Cardi B.[16]

DIRTY LEMON is an omni-channel functional beverage brand[17] with products which utilizes Iris Nova's SMS-based e-commerce platform, a technology ideated by Normandin.[18]

In 2018, Normandin raised a $15M SEED round for Iris Nova, the parent company of DIRTY LEMON. The round of funding was led by Coca-Cola North America’s Venturing and Emerging Brands (VEB) unit with additional support from Greycroft, GGV Capital, Imaginary Ventures, CASSIUS Family, PLUS Capital, Nebari Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Betaworks Ventures, and Lakehouse Ventures.[19][20]

In 2020, Iris Nova reduced its workforce by half due to severe disruptions in retail and wholesale operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately shutting down operations in 2022.[21]

Awards and recognition

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  • In 2018, Normandin was recognized as a '2018 Visionary' by Consumer Goods Technology.[22]
  • In 2018, Normandin was recognized as a '2018 Total Retail Game Changer' by Total Retail.[23]
  • In 2019, Normandin was recognized as a '2019 Disruptive Innovation Leader' by INNOCOS.[24]
  • In 2019, Normandin was recognized as one of 2019's '100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs' by Goldman Sachs.[25]
  • In 2020, Normandin was recognized as one of 2020's '100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs' by Goldman Sachs.[26]
  • In 2021, Normandin was recognized as one of 2021's 'Most Daring Creators' by Boutique Leaders Lifestyle Association.[27]
  • In 2021, Normandin was recognized as one of 2021's '40 Under 40 Trailblazers Driving the Next Era of Retail' by design:retail and Retail Touchpoints.[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Charcoal on Call: Dirty Lemon Launches on Instagram". 30 July 2015.
  2. ^ Erin Magner (7 March 2016). "Detox drink sensation Dirty Lemon is cleaning up your hair and skin next".
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.com. 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. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  15. ^ "The National Parenting Publications Awards". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  16. ^ Taylor Boozan (20 December 2017). "Wellness Beverage Brand Dirty Lemon Announces Collaboration with VOGUE". Forbes.
  17. ^ Abby Reisner (3 February 2016). "The dirty lemon water cleanse".
  18. ^ Marina Kennedy (10 November 2015). "Zak Normandin Founder of DIRTY LEMON DETOX".
  19. ^ "Coca-Cola Leads $15M Investment in Dirty Lemon Parent Co. Iris Nova". BevNET.com. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  20. ^ "Coca-Cola buys stake in company behind New York's cashierless drinks store". The National. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  21. ^ Dua, Tanya. "Iris Nova, the buzzy direct-to-consumer startup backed by Coca-Cola, has laid off half its staff as the coronavirus pandemic hits its retail business". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  22. ^ Peter Breen & Nicole Gillo (12 June 2018). "Visionaries 2018".
  23. ^ Melissa Campanelli (11 September 2018). "2018 Total Retail Game Changers".
  24. ^ Irina Kremin (3 March 2019). "2019 INNOCOS LEADERSHIP AWARDS".
  25. ^ Goldman Sachs (17 October 2019). "2019 Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators".
  26. ^ Goldman Sachs (14 October 2020). "2020 Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators".
  27. ^ Boutique Leaders Lifestyle Association (22 February 2021). "2021 Pioneers of the Boutique Lifestyle".
  28. ^ Retail TouchPoints (26 May 2021). "2021 design:retail 40 Under 40 Awards - Retail TouchPoints".
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