WATERBURY, Vt.–Nick Lazaris has resigned as president of Keurig, the coffeemaker subsidiary of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
According to a statement from Green Mountain, Lazaris is leaving the company to pursue other career opportunities, and has entered into a separation and transition agreement with Keurig. Under the terms of this agreement, Lazaris will continue as Keurig’s president until June 16 or the date on which a successor assumes the post, and will continue as a Keurig employee until Aug. 15. Meanwhile, the company has begun a search process for Lazaris’ successor.
After that date, Lazaris will serve as a consultant in Keurig’s patent-infringement litigation, which is pending against Kraft Foods. Keurig filed a complaint against Kraft in January 2007, claiming that Kraft’s T DISC single-serve beverage cartridges infringe upon Keurig’s patented single-serve cups.
The statement credited Lazaris and the Keurig management team with introducing single-cup coffee brewers to offices in the late 1990s. The company has since then launched products for home use as well, and recently debuted products targeted at hotels. In praising Lazaris’ leadership, Lawrence J. Blanford, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain, cited Lazaris’ 2006 award as Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young.