GURU Organic Energy Announces Leadership Transition to Support Next Phase of Growth
- Board initiates search for new Chief Executive Officer
- Tyler Ricks appointed Executive Chair during the transition
- Carl Goyette remains as director and shareholder
- Patrick Charbonneau promoted to Chief Revenue Officer
MONTRÉAL, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX: GURU) (“GURU” or the “Company”), Canada’s leading organic energy drink brand1, today announced a leadership transition in support of the Company’s next chapter of growth.
Carl Goyette is concluding his tenure as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He continues to serve on GURU’s Board of Directors, remains a shareholder and will support an orderly leadership transition. The Board has initiated a search for a new CEO with proven experience scaling culturally relevant consumer brands across multiple markets. Tyler Ricks, Chairman of the Board, will serve as Executive Chair during the transition period.
Mr. Goyette has been with GURU for 12 years and has served as President and CEO since 2020. He led GURU through a period of growth and its successful public listing. His work solidified GURU’s foundation in Québec, enhanced retail execution in Canada and the U.S., and returned GURU to positive trailing-twelve-month Adjusted EBITDA.
“We are all very grateful for Carl’s leadership and contributions over the last 12 years, which enabled the early growth that led to GURU’s successful public listing and the record results announced today,” said Mr. Ricks. “Québec is the birthplace and headquarters of GURU and Canada remains the foundation of our business. With that foundation strengthened and significant potential ahead in the vast North American market and international opportunities, this is the right time for a leadership transition as the Company enters its next phase of growth. We are pleased that Carl remains closely connected to GURU as a director, shareholder and one of our brand’s great champions.”
“I am immensely proud of what this team has accomplished,” said Mr. Goyette. “We rebuilt our business on our own terms, and I hand over the leadership of a company with record momentum, a strong balance sheet and a brand with deep roots in Québec that Canadians have made part of their lives and which has made inroads in select U.S. markets. As a director and shareholder, I will continue to support the team as it builds on our strength and realizes GURU’s significant potential.”
The Company also announced the promotion of Patrick Charbonneau to Chief Revenue Officer, with responsibility for all sales activities across the Company. Mr. Charbonneau led the successful transition back to the Company’s own distribution network in Canada, a significant undertaking shortly after joining GURU, and has also been instrumental in accelerating its category leadership in the U.S. natural channel. “Patrick was thrown into the fire with the distribution change. He not only rose to the challenge, but in the process, he demonstrated he is an outstanding culture carrier for GURU,” said Mr. Ricks. Mr. Charbonneau and Ingy Sarraf, GURU’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will co-lead GURU’s operations, reporting directly to the Executive Chair, until the appointment of a new CEO.
Biographical Notes
Tyler Ricks brings more than 30 years of experience leading and scaling consumer packaged goods and beverage businesses. A GURU director since 2024 and Chairman of the Board since December 2025, he has held senior executive roles at Peet’s Coffee and PepsiCo, where he led the Mountain Dew brand through a critical growth phase, including the launch of their first energy drink in 2001. He met GURU founder, Joe Zakher in 2007 at EXPO West. He has also held CEO roles for Einstein Bros Bagels, Super Coffee and CAULIPOWER. Mr. Ricks currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Decamarx and as a director and Chair of the Compensation Committee of Luke’s Lobster. He also leads Ricks Family Ventures LLC, an investor in emerging food and beverage companies.
Patrick Charbonneau brings more than 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, spanning sales, field operations and senior leadership roles with PepsiCo Beverages and Frito Lay Canada, and a proven track record of driving commercial growth while building high-performance teams. He has served as GURU’s Executive Vice-President of Sales since joining the Company nearly two years ago.
Ingy Sarraf, CPA, MBA, brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experience with multinational consumer packaged goods companies, spanning finance, operations, supply chain, sales, marketing and business strategy. CFO since joining GURU in 2017, she was promoted to the additional role of COO in January 2026. Ms. Sarraf also serves on the Board of Directors of Dose Juice and chairs its Audit Committee.
About GURU Organic Energy
GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX: GURU) is a dynamic, fast-growing beverage company that launched the world’s first natural, plant-based energy drink in 1999. The Company markets organic energy drinks in Canada and the United States through an estimated distribution network of about 25,000 points of sale, and through www.guruenergy.com and Amazon. GURU has built a category-defining brand with a clean list of organic ingredients, including natural caffeine, and no artificial sweeteners, zero sucralose and zero aspartame, which offer consumers Good Energy® that never comes at the expense of their health. The Company is committed to achieving its mission of cleaning up the energy drink industry in Canada and the United States. For more information, go to www.guruenergy.com or follow us @guruenergydrink on Instagram, @guruenergy on Facebook and @guruenergydrink on TikTok.
For Further Information, Please Contact:
| INVESTORS: Ingy Sarraf, COO & CFO 514-845-4878 investors@guruenergy.com strat.eko Francois Kalos francois.kalos@guruenergy.com | MEDIA: Lyla Radmanovich PELICAN PR media@rppelican.ca |
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the Company’s objectives and the strategies to achieve these objectives, as well as information with respect to management’s beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates, and intentions. This forward-looking information is identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “may”, “would”, “should”, “could”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “believe”, or “continue”, the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions, although not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. Forward-looking information is provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Company and its business, operations, prospects, and risks at a point in time in the context of historical and possible future developments and therefore the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information is based upon a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risk factors, which are discussed in greater detail under the “RISK FACTORS” section of the annual information form for the year ended October 31, 2025: management of growth; reliance on key personnel; reliance on key customers; changes in consumer preferences; significant changes in government regulation; criticism of energy drink products and/or the energy drink market; economic downturn and continued uncertainty in the financial markets and other adverse changes in general economic or political conditions, as well as geopolitical developments, global inflationary pressure or other major macroeconomic phenomena; global or regional catastrophic events; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; inflation; revenues derived entirely from energy drinks; increased competition; relationships with co-packers and distributors and/or their ability to manufacture and/or distribute GURU’s products; seasonality; relationships with existing customers; changing retail landscape; increases in costs and/or shortages of raw materials and/or ingredients and/or fuel and/or costs of co-packing; failure to accurately estimate demand for its products; history of negative cash flow and no assurance of continued profitability or positive EBITDA; repurchase of common shares; intellectual property rights; maintenance of brand image or product quality; retention of the full-time services of senior management; climate change; litigation; information technology systems; fluctuation of quarterly operating results; changes in government policies and international trade regulations; conflicts of interest; consolidation of retailers, wholesalers and distributors and key players’ dominant position; compliance with data privacy and personal data protection laws; management of new product launches; use of third-party marketing, including celebrities and influencers; review of regulations on advertising claims, as well as those other risk factors identified in other public materials, including those filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time and which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to management or that management currently deems to be immaterial could also cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the forward-looking information contained herein is based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions as at the date they were made, investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on these statements, since actual results may vary from the forward-looking information. Certain assumptions were made in preparing the forward-looking information concerning availability of capital resources, business performance, market conditions, and customer demand. Consequently, all of the forward-looking information contained herein is qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that management anticipates will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on the business, financial condition, or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date hereof, and management does not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.
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1 Nielsen, 52-week period ended July 11, 2026, All Channels, Canada vs. same period a year ago.
