^{A Natural Fit}
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natural fit

Thom Walton sits down with Darnell Ross to hear how Finlays Solutions is turning integration into momentum — for customers, colleagues and the future of the business.

Words: Thom Walton
Portrait: Taryn Andre

Integrating two businesses is never just about scale. It is about the possibilities that scale offers — for customers, colleagues, partners, and for the long-term success of the business.

This is the opportunity before Finlays Solutions following the integration of Leahy-IFP in early 2026. The acquisition doubled the size of Finlays Solutions’ North American operations, added juice-based beverages to its tea, coffee and botanicals portfolio, and significantly expanded its R&D and innovation capability.

For Finlays Solutions CEO Darnell Ross, the key to success lies in combining complementary capabilities and expertise to create something new. And his vision is bold:

“We want to be irreplaceable to our customers,” he says. “We want to be more than just another supplier — we want to understand their challenges, help solve them, and bring insight, innovation, and operational expertise that makes them more valuable to their consumers.”

Bringing people together
For Ross, the key to success begins with people. “It starts with building the right culture internally — one where people feel trusted, supported and excited by what we can achieve together. I’ve learned over the years that my job is to help people be the best version of themselves,” he says. “If we do that well, everything else follows.”

So how has Ross approached the challenge of integrating the two businesses together over the past year? “We felt it from the first meeting – that Finlays Solutions and Leahy were a natural fit. We added juice and refreshers to tea and coffee. We blended deep expertise in both retail and food service. We brought together some of the best R&D talent in the industry. And importantly, both businesses had a family-oriented culture.”

We want to be irreplaceble to
our customer.”

From Chicago roots to global leadership
Born and raised in Chicago, Ross fell in love with food service early, opening his own restaurant — DJ’s Italian Beef — while studying at university. “We sold traditional Chicago food,” he recalls. “It was fast, flavorful, and the Chicago kids loved it.”

Running a restaurant taught him two things: how hard the food business can be, and how energizing it is when you get it right. It also introduced him to the world of foodservice supply. “I had no idea how food away from home was prepared,” he says. “Once I understood the back-end processes, I was hooked, and I’ve carried that understanding through my career.”

After a stint in sales at another business, Ross joined Leahy-IFP in 2008. Over the next 15 years he held roles spanning sales, operations, and now, CEO. But, according to Ross, the heart of his success has always been people.

“I’ve always believed in serving the needs of the people around me,” he says. “If you can help someone grow, personally and professionally, that’s the real work of leadership.

Global business, global opportunity
While centered on North America, Finlays Solutions has a global customer base and operations in the UK and Kenya. For Ross, the business’ global scale is a major advantage.

“Our network spans continents and brings unique products to the global market. This allows us to serve customers all over the world – from Asia to Europe to North America to Latin America. That’s an important part of our proposition.”

But despite Finlays’ global scale and being part of Swire, Ross has been struck by how grounded the organization feels. “We’re part of a very big business,” he says, “but the leadership genuinely cares about people. That surprised me – in a good way.”

If you can help someone grow, personally and professionally, that’s the real work of leadership.”

Putting the customer first
If there is a single phrase Ross returns to during our time together, it’s “speed to market.” In an industry where consumer tastes shift overnight, the ability to move quickly from insight to commercialization to manufacturing is a differentiator.

“Right now, our secret sauce is speed,” he says. “We’re always proactively looking at what’s next and this is how we can take a product from ideation to commercialization faster than anyone else. That means fewer handoffs, fewer delays and more agility.”

But Ross knows speed alone isn’t enough. He wants to combine speed and agility with relentless customer obsession.
“We want a near-total understanding of our customers. What they’re working on, their business strategy, their pain points. Ultimately, serving our customers isn’t just selling a product, it’s solving problems — supply chain, procurement, R&D, operations. Our customers should feel like working with us removes friction.”

That same focus on ease and reliability depends on strong foundations. For Ross, operational excellence is about more than getting cases out the door. “It’s doing it on time, safely, efficiently,” he says.

IN A NUTSHELL

HQ: Glenview, Illinois

Operations across: lllinois, Rhode Island, Texas, New Jersey, Nevada, the UK and Kenya

CEO: Darnell Ross

Portfolio: Ingredients and Solutions across tea, coffee, botanicals and juice

Best known for: Helping pioneer the Refresher platform and being the largest producer of cold brew coffee extracts

Right now, our secret sauce is speed.”

“And Quality and Food Safety are things people don’t talk about until there’s an issue. But it touches everything. The integration has created opportunities to harmonize processes, share best practices, and invest in capability across our global network.”

The next big thing
Through Finlays Solutions’ newly expanded portfolio, Ross sees huge opportunities for innovation.

“Few suppliers can match our range of coffee extracts, tea extracts, cold brew, juice concentrates, beverage bases, and functional ingredients, which span retail, foodservice, and ingredient applications”.

We can now give our customers access to more ingredients, more formats, and more global expertise. Whether it’s a teabased energy drink, a coffeeforward functional beverage, or a juicebased refresher platform, we can now build solutions that span categories.”

And for Ross, the process starts with understanding what’s happening in the market. “Everything starts with data,” he says. “Our customers rely on us to tell them what’s resonating with consumers – and what might resonate next.

We can now give our customers access to more ingredients, more formats, and more global expertise.”

We can now identify trends earlier and translate them into actionable innovation. Ultimately, we want to be responsible for helping our customers deliver the next big thing in beverages.”

Creating shared value through Sustainability

Also central to Ross’s view of where Finlays Solutions can create long-term value is the subject of Sustainability. For him, this is key to how the business supports customers, strengthens supply chains and builds trust across the value chain. From net zero goals to traceability and responsible sourcing, he sees growing demand for practical solutions that help customers meet their own commitments while building resilience and reducing risk.

“Most of our customers have sustainability targets we can help them deliver,” he says. “Traceability is a huge focus right now, and we’re working to build supply chains that are more transparent, more resilient and more sustainable.
Natural beverages also face real human rights challenges, so improving livelihoods and reducing this risk has to be part of the job. These are material issues for the future of the industry, and we are seeking to take a leading role in solving them.”

For Ross, though, credibility matters as much as intent. “It’s one thing to say what you want to be,” he says. “It’s another to live it. When we say we want to leave the world better than we found it, you should see that in our actions.”

NLX: Finlays Solutions’ state-of-the-art aseptic beverage manufacturing facility

A connected business
Looking towards 2027 and beyond, Finlays Solutions is building momentum and Ross is clear-eyed about the opportunity.

“We have mature customers who trust us,” he says. “We have a portfolio that spans cate-gories. We have the ability to move fast. And with some of the best talent in the industry, we’ve built a culture that puts people first and encourages personal growth. That’s a strong platform to build from and deliver for our partners.”

And for Ross, there’s never been a more ex-citing time to be in the beverages industry. “What excites me most about the future is the opportunity to create better-for-you products that don’t compromise on taste. Consumers want lower sugar, great flavor and functional benefits that meet their lifestyle needs. That creates huge space for innovation.”

For Ross, that sense of opportunity is made real by how the business is taking shape.

“When I see our teams coming together, when I see the energy around what we can build, it makes me genuinely excited about what’s ahead,” he says.

That, perhaps, is the clearest sign of what the future holds for Finlays Solutions. Not just a bigger business, but a more connected one. Broader in capability, stronger in partnership, and better placed to serve the brand owners and operators of tomorrow.

When I see the energy around what we can build, it makes me genuinely excited about what’s ahead.”

WATCH: Megan Canceicao on the evolution of the Energy Drink Category

Getting to Know… Darnell Ross

My go-to beverage is… A mojito – alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Outside of work you’ll find me… When my daughters were younger, I spent a ton of time watching them figure skating and playing basketball. These days, I love to golf.

My favorite record is... Emotional by Carl Thomas.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is… From my dad, Arthur. He always said “Put all your eggs in one basket. Pivot if you need to, but you’ve got to give it 100%.”

If I wasn’t in beverages, I’d be… A restaurant owner, sitting at the bar talking to customers.

Thom Walton
Corporate Affairs Director Finlays