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Industry veteran to take helm at Bee’s Wrap
“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the Bee’s Wrap team and continue the growth of this pioneering brand.” — Tara Murphy
MIDDLEBURY — Bee’s Wrap, the Middlebury-based maker of reusable, all-natural food storage wraps, announced on Thursday that Tara Murphy will take the helm as CEO on June 1. Murphy succeeds Sarah Kaeck in the role she’s held since founding Bee’s Wrap in 2012.
Murphy comes to Bee’s Wrap after four years as chief executive officer at Hinesburg’s Vermont Smoke & Cure. Previously she spent three years at Keurig Green Mountain, rising to senior vice president and general manager of the Cold Beverage Appliance Division. Prior to that she spent three years with Reckitt and Benckiser and 16 years at Procter & Gamble. Murphy has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.
With deep experience in the food and consumer goods industry, Murphy will lead Bee’s Wrap as the company expands production capacity and extends into new markets.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the Bee’s Wrap team and continue the growth of this pioneering brand,” Murphy said. “Bee’s Wrap is a leader in sustainable storage space, a category that is increasingly important to retailers and consumers around the world.”
The new leader arrives just after a Vermont-based private investor bought Bee’s Wrap for an undisclosed price. When the transaction was announced just after it closed on Feb. 4, Kaeck said the buyer brings “resources that will even further grow the national and international recognition of our unique solution to the problem of single use plastics.”
Kaeck founded Bee’s Wrap in 2012, setting out to make a reusable, biodegradable, and all-natural replacement for disposable plastic wrap. In the intervening years, she oversaw the addition of dozens of employees and led the way for rapid sales growth nationally and internationally. Kaeck led the business through its expansion into a 12,000-square-foot facility on Exchange Street in Middlebury in 2018 and oversaw Bee’s Wrap’s B Corp certification, among other milestones. As a Certified B Corporation, Bee’s Wrap is committed to using business as a vehicle for social change, bettering the lives of our customers, employees, community, and planet.
“I could not be happier about the prospects for Bee’s Wrap’s future,” Kaeck said in a press release. “I founded and led Bee’s Wrap for eight years with the goal to create a viable mainstream alternative to plastic, and we’re at that point now. Tara’s deep consumer product experience, outstanding leadership skills and commitment to Vermont make her an excellent choice to continue to grow Bee’s Wrap in the years to come.”
As she considers her next chapter, Kaeck is keeping herself open to new opportunities and ideas, and remains committed to continuing work for climate justice and a healthier planet.
“I’m incredibly proud of Bee’s Wrap,” Kaeck said. “In addition to creating a product that meaningfully tackles the problem of plastic waste, our team has built a company culture committed to making a difference in the world. It’s been an honor to shape Bee’s Wrap into the company that it is today.”
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