People Moves: Chocxo Enlists Christian Quie to Lead Expansion, Utz’s New Executive Team, Kara Rubin Joins JPG Resources

Chocxo Names Adds Christian Quie To Sales Team

Low-sugar chocolate maker Chocxo has named former Maverick Snacks president and HumanCo sales leader Christian Quie as its new VP of sales.

Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, Chocxo produces a six-SKU line of Keto-Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified dark chocolate cups and snacks that are manufactured in British Columbia, Canada.

Quie, who joined the company last month, said he brings an understanding of hiring, integrating and leading a national team to the Chocxo brand as it pursues further expansion into the U.S. market. He joins just four months after ChocoXo, and its sister company Chewters, announced the hiring of Kristen Mandel as VP of Marketing

“My core priority this year is to unlock critical points of distribution for our products so that consumers can experience our product’s unmatched indulgence and be pleasantly surprised with our compelling organic, low sugar benefits,” he told NOSH. “My team’s goals focus on rapidly scaling Chocxo’s sales and availability across North America with a targeted emphasis on the United States.”

Along with Quie’s sales role, he will be responsible for integrating Chocxo with its new sales management partner IGNITE, which the company hopes will help broaden the brand’s reach into specialty grocery, natural and organic retail channels. The brand has long had a strong presence in the club channel, most recently expanding its regional placement to a nationwide pickup by Costco. As of summer 2021, two-thirds of the company’s business was from Canada, with the company hoping a rebrand can help reinvigorate U.S. sales.

Within the chocolate market, Quie highlighted Chocxo’s vertically integrated supply chain as an advantage and said the brand “has just begun scratching the surface of its success.” He is taking over the sales position from Trent Thibert who left in December.

JPG Resources Adds Kara Rubin As Strategic Advisor

JPG Resources is growing its presence in New York City with the addition of Kara Rubin as a strategic investor. Rubin’s pedigree in the Northeast dates back to her nearly 10 years in the Whole Foods grocery division as senior regional director. Most recently, Rubin was VP of brand and product strategy at JUST Goods.

“I’m excited to now utilize my experience and perspective to help growing brands navigate the CPG landscape,” she told NOSH in an email. “I’m thrilled to join forces with the incredible team at JPG Resources as an anchor presence in NYC, building relationships here, leading marketing and strategy, and advising clients.”

Founded in Battle Creek, Michigan, JPG provides food and beverage brands a variety of resources from product development to market research and supply chain management. The company has worked with CPG industry leaders like Kellogg’s, Nestle and Kraft Heinz. The company opened a New York City office in summer 2020, helmed, at that time, by Casey Emmet and Kathy Holt. .

Rubin also serves as an advisory board member of Naturally New York and will continue to support the growth of the organization while pursuing her own projects, including a role as Strategic Advisor to Makor Partners LLC.

Utz Brands Announced CEO Succession Plan

Salty snack maker Utz last week unveiled its succession plan, which will see current CEO and 27-year company veteran Dylan Lissette become Executive Chairman of the Board, effective December 15. Current chairman Roger Deromedi will take on the title of lead independent director. Additionally, Utz will be bringing on Howard Friedman, current COO of Post Holdings, to fill the role of Utz CEO and company board member.

“It has been immensely gratifying to see the success of our team over so many years, as Utz continues to achieve enhanced scale while never compromising the family crafted quality and great flavors that our consumers expect,” Lissette said in a company press release. “Our track record of success has been incredible, and I am truly excited to transition into the role of executive chairman and to welcome Howard to our team.”

Since becoming Utz’s chief executive in 2013, Lissette has overseen nearly tripling sales growth to over $1.3 billion, according to the company press release. Under his tenure the company acquired better-for-you snacking brands RW Garcia in 2021 and Snikkidy in 2017, as the then family-owned brand sought to expand its clean-label offerings. In 2020, Utz went public under a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with Collier Creek Holdings as part of a push to expand its distribution capabilities and move into new snacking categories. As of publication, the company’s stock is trading at $14.66 per share.

Friedman’s experience in food and beverage spans more than 25 years working with legacy brands like Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Kool-Aid, Lunchables and other Kraft brand foods.

“I am confident that, with such a values-driven, passionate organization, and a portfolio of iconic snacks beloved by families across the U.S., Utz is just getting started,” he said.

Former KOR Shots Executive Takes Over BelliWelli Sales Position

CPG Industry leader Rachel Forillere was announced as the new VP of Sales for BelliWelli in September. BelliWelli makes gluten-free, dairy-free, low-sugar bars that address gut-health concerns like IBS.

Prior to joining the gut-health bar maker, Forillere spent over four years at wellness shot brand KOR Shots. Previously, Forillere worked in business development for Harmless Harvest and was a category buyer for Whole Foods for over eight years.

Thuy Nguyen Joins Thrive Market to Help Retailer Push into Perishables

Ecommerce retailer Thrive Market appears to be entering the chilled food space, with newly appointed category manager Thuy Nguyen handing out cards at Natural Products Expo East noting she is the ecommerce retailer’s new dairy, deli, refrigerated grocery buyer. Nguyen, who joined the company in August from fellow online grocery platform Good Eggs, had not previously disclosed which categories fall under her purview.

Founded in 2014, Thrive’s initial product assortment contained only shelf stable products, but expanded to frozen meat and seafood in 2018, adding more frozen items over the ensuing years.

At Good Eggs, Nguyen was first responsible for bakery, prepared foods and beverage products, and later moved into the role of forager in 2021, helping find and onboard emerging brands.

Nguyen was unable to comment for this story.

Sovos Hires Chief Growth Officer

CPG food company Sovos Brands has added E. Yuri Hermida as chief growth officer to oversee the company’s sales, marketing and business segments. Hermida previously held the executive VP position at health and nutrition CPG company Reckitt. Prior to that, Hermida spent over two decades in a variety of leadership roles at Procter and Gamble in positions all over the world from Malaysia and Singapore to China and North America.

“Yuri is a dynamic leader with proven experience building and scaling consumer brands. His unique expertise will be instrumental as we continue to execute upon our vision of bringing consumers simple, great-tasting food that fits the way they live,” said Todd Lachman, founder and CEO of Sovos Brands, in a company press release.

Sovos has been acquiring a diverse mix of CPG food brands including Rao’s pasta sauces, Noosa yogurt and Birch Benders baking mixes to round out its portfolio of dry pastas and frozen entrees. The company filed for an IPO in August 2021 and is headquartered in Louisville, Colorado.

B&G Adds Former TreeHouse Foods VP To Executive Team

Andrew Vogel was announced as the new EVP and president of meals for Parsippany, New Jersey-based B&G Foods. As the leader of the newly-minted Meals business unit, Vogel will be responsible for approximately 22% of B&G’s Foods’ net sales overseeing brands like Ortega, Cream of Wheat, Las Palmas Mexican sauces and Vermont Maid syrup among others.

Similar to Kellogg’s restructuring plan, B&G Foods also announced in June it too would split its business into separate units – Frozen and Vegetables, Spices and Seasonings, Specialty, and Meals – in order to focus resources and grow categories independently of a centralized system.

Before joining B&G, Vogel served as SVP and general manager of the nut butters division of 8th Avenue Food & Provisions as well as working for seven years at TreeHouse Foods in the eady-to-eat cereal, oatmeal, snack bar and dry blend business units.