People Moves: Meati Adds Tesla, Good Culture Execs; Petit Pot Brings on New CMO

Plant-based protein brand Meati is beefing up its marketing and communications team. In August, Patrick Jammet joined as VP of marketing and, last week, Christina Ra came aboard as VP, brand and communications.

The duo will bring an understanding of the food industry, particularly CPG, to Meati, complementing the founding team’s background in science and technology. Jammet joins the company after serving as the VP of marketing for dairy brand Good Culture. He previously was the VP of marketing for condiment brand Sir Kensington’s and held senior leadership positions in field marketing for both condiment brand Tessemae’s as well as Honest Tea. Jammet will remain based in New York City, but said he will commute to the company’s Boulder office frequently.

Ra was most recently the VP of marketing for indoor farming brand Plenty, and previously led communications and PR for companies including Tesla, Credit Karma, Affirm and Shutterfly. Ra will be based in Colorado.

Meati, which uses the roots of fungi to produce its alt-meat offerings, has yet to bring a product to market, but Jammet said the company is “excited to get our products into the real world” later this year. The company raised $50 million in July, a deal that followed the company’s $28 million fundraise last November. At the time, the company shared that some of the funding would be used to double its headcount ahead of its retail launch.

Both Ra and Jammet said that the company’s mission of revolutionizing the food system was a key motivation for joining the emerging brand. Jamet added that he saw similarities between Good Culture and Meati, with both offering “cleaner, more nutritious, and delicious” alternatives to what is currently in the market. Unlike some other plant-based meat offerings, Meati claims its products will be “whole foods” that are “unprocessed” and can be grown sustainably. Still, while these may serve as points of differentiation for the brand, they will also represent marketing challenges that Meati will need to address.

“To date, people have rejected plant-based alternatives due to the flavor, texture or how they feel after. Convincing them to give us a try might be a mild hurdle, but the moment they do, we will win them over,” Jammet said. “When you have a good product, [you] just need to get the right consumers to try it for the first time.”

Petit Pot Names New CMO

French-inspired dessert maker Petit Pot this month named Eugene Lin as CMO. Lin joins Petit Pot from foodservice provider Revolution Foods, where he led marketing for over three years. He previously held senior brand management roles at Plum Organics and Del Monte Foods. Lin shared that he was attracted to the brand because it “challenge[s] the status quo and strive[s] to make people’s lives better every day through food.”

“Petit Pot is one of these special brands that is ready to be unleashed, and I can’t wait to help it reach its full potential,” he said.

During his time at Revolution Foods, Lin was charged with analyzing feedback from students, parents and school administrators in an effort to increase customer satisfaction through SKU rationalization and innovation. Lin said his focus on connecting with consumers and improving satisfaction will carry over to his work at Petit Pot where he hopes to “help crystallize” the company’s point of view. He will also strive to increase brand awareness, noting he sees the company as “the best kept secret in the refrigerated dessert category.”

“In the fast-paced, dynamic food industry, there are millions of ways to engage with consumers, and it’s so easy to just turn into execution mode and do as many things as possible without thinking much about why you do them in the first place,” he said. “At Petit Pot, we want to move fast and punch above our weight in everything we do.”

Beyond Meat COO Steps Down

Beyond Meat announced late last month that COO Sanjay Shah would be stepping down from his role at the plant-based meat company, effectively immediately. Shah served as COO for just under two years, joining the company from Tesla.

Beyond Meat did not share any additional information regarding Shah’s departure, though SEC filings dated September 3 indicate that the company entered an agreement with Shah for a lump sum severance payment.

Jonathan P. Nelson, the company’s VP of North America manufacturing operations, will serve as interim COO while the company searches for Shah’s replacement. Nelson joined the company in May and, prior to joining Beyond Meat, has held various roles at SunOpta, most recently leading operations for its plant-based food and beverage division for nearly five years.

Other People Moves include:

• Grocery service Hungryroot appointed Alex Weinstein as its chief digital officer and Stephanie Retcho as the company’s first CMO. Weinstein formerly served as SVP of growth at GrubHub, while Retcho joined Hungryroot from travel agency KAYAK.
• Plant-based food brand ZENB named Hugo Pérez its VP of marketing. Pérez has previously led marketing campaigns for brands such as Starbucks, Taco Bell and Frito-Lay.