Industry Leadership: Jim Lacey Partners with Berry Sleepy

In 2014, Greg Doring was experiencing trouble sleeping. A growing family and the demands of a tough career ate into his ability to fall asleep at night. He and his wife knew they needed help, so they set out to find a healthy, natural solution.

Berry Sleepy was born. Greg recruited business partner Tim Prier, and their next step was to leverage the experience of James Lacey, a Thousand Oaks, California entrepreneur and consumer packaged goods expert in September of 2016. Jim brought over 30 years of high-level experience to the Berry Sleepy business venture. Jim was also experiencing difficulty in falling asleep, so his personal interest in the project’s success gave him extra incentives. His company Healthy Ventures LLC was the ideal choice for the growing company.

Over the next several months, Healthy Ventures conducted extensive market research. Their goal was to discover natural remedies to help consumers sleep. As part of the research, more flavor choices were added to the Berry Sleepy product line as well as a liquid delivery system. This new product, called Berry Sleep Shots, comes in mixed berry and strawberry flavors and is packed with Natural Prebiotics. During the research, Jim and the team at Berry Sleepy realized that consumers were clamoring for natural energy products. The company worked quickly to develop Berry Awake, featuring the same flavors and many of the same natural ingredients as the Sleep Shots with pea protein.

Jim Lacey has enjoyed tremendous success in his years in the consumer goods industry. After graduating from California Polytechnic University, he went to work for SmithKline Beecham as a sales manager for the company’s Southern California business operations. Several years later, he joined the Nestle S.A. team as a regional sales manager. Both of these experiences gave him access to the world of international consumer goods sales and distribution. He was able to hone his natural talents as he helped both companies expand market penetration.

Work with Schiff Vitamins, Power Bar, Oral-B dental products, and Weider Nutrition International soon followed. Jim’s skill as a sale and marketing expert helped him become a leading voice in the packaged goods industry. His ability to develop innovative sales strategies gave the companies he worked with ever-increasing leverage on global markets, allowing them to expand operations and sales at an explosive rate.

Jim took his skills and applied them to his own venture in 2005 when he co-founded Crunchies Naural Food Company. Starting small, the company grew under Jim’s leadership to the top freeze-dried snack food business in the world. Jim’s leadership and his knowledge of emerging markets are a great fit for the Berry Sleepy venture; with his guidance, the company is poised to dominate the natural sleep aid and energy shot market.