SAN RAFAEL, CA – Elevate Gourmet Brands® is pleased to announce Benedikt Reifler has joined EGB as its new Chief Financial Officer. Benedikt, formerly CFO at Philz Coffee, brings 22 years of financial executive experience in the hospitality industry to Elevate Gourmet Brands, with a proven track record of value creation.
Originally from Switzerland, Benedikt started his career in banking and after completing business school, he moved to the Bay Area for its mild weather, cultural diversity, and forward-thinking mindset. He’s an incisive and focused leader with experience with several US brands including Philz Coffee and Tavistock Restaurants, where he built strong financial and administrative foundations, allowing them to successfully expand their footprint. He was a key player in growing Philz Coffee from 14 to 55 coffee shops and Tavistock Restaurants from 17 to 115 restaurants (with a mix of fine dining, casual and quick service concepts all across the US). Benedikt brings a talent for problem solving in operations, systems, and process optimizations in addition to his financial expertise.
“I’m excited to join the Elevate Gourmet Brands team,” Benedikt said. “One of my highest priorities right out of the gate is to leverage technology to transform the accounting and finance department to a fully digital environment, enhance the analysis and planning functions, and help build the strategy for successful growth of Elevate Gourmet Brands’ existing and new concepts in the US airport space.”
Benedikt holds a business degree from the school of economics and business administration (SEBA) in Zurich-Winterthur and is a Certified Public Accountant in California.