Gourmet News

KIND Snacks Appoints Industry Veteran Calderoni as CEO

Published September 17, 2024

Daniel Calderoni

KIND Snacks has appointed Daniel Calderoni as chief executive officer of KIND North America. Calderoni brings more than 20 years of global experience leading beloved consumer brands to KIND and will report to Blas Maquivar, global president of health and wellness, Mars Snacking.

We’re extremely pleased to welcome Daniel to KIND and the Mars Health & Wellness Leadership Team,” said Maquivar. “Daniel is highly regarded as a purpose and people-first leader, and we are excited that he brings a tremendous track record of growth to the KIND business.”

As CEO, Calderoni will lead KIND North America’s efforts to continue advancing the brand’s mission of crafting snacks that taste good, feel good and do good and building on the long-standing legacy of creating a kinder and healthier world.

“I believe an organization’s purpose should be its true differentiator,” said Calderoni. “That’s why I’m thrilled to join the leadership team at KIND Snacks, a brand whose products bring all KINDs of good to the world. KIND sparked the growth of an entirely new healthy snacking category back in 2004, and I’m eager to take part in leading the brand into its next chapter as we shape the future of snacking.”

Most recently, Calderoni served as the general manager for Mars Pet Nutrition in Canada, where he led the team since November 2022 out of the Mars Canada headquarters. Calderoni was responsible for overseeing the Canadian market for Pet Nutrition, managing a portfolio of brands such as PEDIGREE, and IAMS, while leading a passionate team of associates and serving over 9 million pet-owning households across Canada.

Prior to joining Mars Pet Nutrition in Canada, Calderoni served as vice president of emerging markets for pet nutrition in support of their global growth strategy. Calderoni has also served as General Manager of Pet Nutrition in the Southern Cone, which included Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. Before joining Mars, Calderoni held various roles in marketing at Unilever across Brazil, South Africa and China.

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Perricone Farms Acquires Natalie’s Orchard Island Juice Company

Published September 17, 2024

Perricone Farms, a premium craft juice company with deep roots in California’s citrus industry, has acquired Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, an award-winning juice company based in Fort Pierce, Fla. The merger unites two of the highest quality and most trusted names in the juice industry, strengthens both brands, and enhances the ability to serve customers with excellence in quality and customer service coast-to-coast.

The combined company will be able to take advantage of bi-coastal production facilities, improve its delivery capabilities, expand product offerings, and leverage its additional scale to ensure juices reach customers with the same uncompromising quality they have come to know and love.

“We are excited to add Natalie’s to the Perricone Farms family. Natalie’s commitment to producing the highest quality products, combined with unmatched customer service, aligns with the core values we have been providing in the marketplace for years. Working together, we will be stronger and will be able to provide greater value to our customers,” said Bob Rovzar, CEO of Perricone Farms. “This exciting merger offers new opportunities for growth and expansion, including entrance into new markets, developing innovative products, and strengthening relationships with customers, suppliers, vendors, and partners. Together, Perricone Farms and Natalie’s are now better equipped to ensure the continued success and growth of both brands.”

Over the decades, Perricone Farms and Natalie’s Juices have become industry experts at procuring and producing the highest quality juices. By unifying these two entities, we strengthen our undisputed reputation for being the best premium juice provider in the food service and retail channel.

“The impressive growth that has driven the success behind the Natalie’s brand for the past 35 years has been built on the brand loyalty and relationships we have established with our customers and consumers. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to serve them with the nation’s best-tasting juice—not because it was our job, but because we loved doing it,” said Natalie’s CEO, Marygrace Sexton, who founded the award-winning juice company, named after her daughter, over 35 years ago.  “We are excited for the future and the opportunities this partnership will provide our cherished Natalie’s family. Natalie’s has been built to last and will be providing you with authentic juices on a world-wide scale for generations to come.”

With the foundations for both companies built on a shared vision and values that have existed for generations, the combined company will remain devoted to a legacy that has been rooted in tradition and a commitment to exceeding expectations in quality and customer service.

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Cal-Maine Foods Invests in Egg Product Maker Crepini

Published September 16, 2024

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. has completed a strategic investment with Crepini LLC, establishing a new egg products and prepared foods joint venture. Crepini LLC, founded in 2007, has grown its brand throughout the United States and Mexico featuring egg wraps, protein pancakes, crepes, and wrap-ups, which are now sold online and in over 3,500 retail stores.

The new entity, located in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., will operate as Crepini Foods LLC. Cal-Maine Foods will capitalize Crepini with approximately $6.75 million in cash to purchase additional equipment and other assets and fund working capital in exchange for a 51 percent interest in the new venture. Crepini LLC will contribute its existing assets and business in exchange for a 49 percent interest in the new venture.

Commenting on the announcement, Sherman Miller, president and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., stated, “We are pleased to announce our strategic investment in Crepini, which aligns with our growth strategy to enhance our product portfolio and focus on value-added products and other egg product opportunities. We have a unique opportunity to leverage the established Crepini brand of quality products and extend our market reach to major retailers across the country. This new venture will complement our other egg product offerings from our growing Meadowcreek operation, which offers hard-cooked eggs for institutional, food service and retail needs.

“As consumer demand for affordable protein options, including egg products, continues to grow, Cal-Maine Foods is well positioned to meet this demand. We have a proven ability to derive value from our other strategic investments and believe there are significant opportunities to use our scale and established customer relationships to further expand our egg products business. We look forward to working with the Crepini team as we extend our leadership role in supporting the nation’s food supply with a differentiated product mix.”

“The Crepini team is looking forward to expanding our brand and offerings. We are excited to join the Cal-Maine Foods family, whose leadership team shares our values and approach to excellence,” said Paula Rimer Shkolnik, chief executive officer of Crepini LLC. “This partnership will allow us to make our products available to more national and international customers and continue to provide innovations in the egg specialty products category.”

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packaging, marketing and distribution of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs. The company, which is headquartered in Ridgeland, Miss., is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the nation and sells most of its shell eggs throughout the majority of the United States.

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