Scott LaPorta's Blogspot: Medicinal Mushroom

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

The Probiotic and Medicinal Mushroom Benefits of GT’s ALIVE

Fungus, plant, flora anf food flatlay
Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash

Scott Laporta is a Southern California executive who guides GT’s Living Foods as chief commercial and strategy officer, and manages a globally focused business. Leveraging past leadership experience with Bolthouse Farms and Neuro, Scott Laporta has positioned his company at the forefront of the fresh, healthy, functional beverage category.

Among the firm’s popular product lines is GT’s ALIVE, which has Ayurvedic traditions as its inspiration. The company’s offerings include flavors such as Mate Mint, Pu-Erh Root, Guayusa Turmeric, Black Lemon, and Cascara Spice.

All varieties of GT’s ALIVE are steeped in adaptogenic reishi

, turkey tail, and chaga medicinal mushrooms, as well as loose leaf tea. As a final step, Grade B maple and raw apple cider vinegar are added, creating a beverage that is probiotic, sparkling, and lightly sweet. This gentle flavor contrasts with the fermented tea kombucha, which has a tangier taste.

GT’s ALIVE contains a number of prebiotic and probiotic benefits, including nutrients such as minerals and enzymes that help aid digestion. In addition, the plant adaptogens support immunity and can help in boosting heart health and circulation, and reducing stress.

About Me

A Southern California executive, Scott LaPorta served as part of Bolthouse Farms’ executive leadership from 2009 to 2016. He drove growth in a dynamic company that expanded beyond fresh vegetables to the salad dressing and premium refrigerated beverage segments. With his collaborative and innovative leadership style, he co-led the rapid market share expansion of the CPG businesses. Scott LaPorta and his team achieved a number one share in the fresh carrot and super-premium refrigerated juice markets, with its new ultra-premium cold pressed juice brand achieving 50 percent market distribution and category leading sales volume growth in its first 12-month period.

Mr. LaPorta's executive responsibilities spanned the entire range of corporate functions, including agricultural operations and innovation strategy. In addition to leading Bolthouse Farms’ sales and marketing activities, he managed personnel and oversaw the production and customer service aspects of maintaining a business with approximately $800 million in revenue. He is credited with commercializing Bolthouse Farms operations for Madison Dearborn Partners, the private equity firm that acquired the business from the founding family. These efforts included expanding capacity, capability, and building a team of effective fresh food leaders to achieve sales and profit growth.

In his free time, Mr. LaPorta enjoys traveling to Asian Pacific destinations such as Australia, Hong Kong, and Bora Bora, and he considers Hawaii one of his favorite places to visit. He has also visited the Ukraine and Russia, as well as numerous European destinations. Scott LaPorta holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University and a BS from the University of Virginia.