People Moves: No Evil Moves Sadrah Schadel To CEO; Imperfect Foods Builds Up Exec Team

Co-founder Sadrah Schadel Takes The Lead At No Evil

No Evil Foods has named co-founder and former Chief Creative Officer Sahrah Schadel as its new CEO, as the company seeks to accelerate its commitment to rebuilding and renewal. Schadel assumes the role from fellow co-founder Mike Woliansky who has held the position for four years and will now serve as COO.

“Operations has always been one of my strengths and something that I’ve enjoyed over the years, but it hasn’t always been easy to prioritize while also running the company as CEO,” Woliansky said in a press release. “The continued COVID-related impacts on operations and manufacturing along with ongoing supply chain issues require a higher level of engagement and focus, and I’m excited to be able to provide that now to ensure our success.”

The leadership transition comes after a year of financial challenges for No Evil Foods, including layoffs and shift to a co-manufacturing business model, followed by capital injection from Big Idea Ventures’ New Protein Fund in October. Schadel said that despite the company’s “history of undercapitalization,” it remains “unrivaled” in the category, citing recent data from SPINS showing No Evil as one of the top ten brands in the alt-protein category.

Schadel said as CEO her initial goals are to secure additional capital and emphasize “why we have staying power” by refining the brand’s messaging and positioning. Schadel said she already drove No Evil’s vision in her previous role, but the move to CEO gives her “permission and empowerment” to execute on that vision, while allowing Woliansky to focus on getting new innovations in its R&D pipeline to market

“Our ability to reach our potential and meet the growing consumer need for cleaner, higher-quality plant-based protein requires us to have sufficient financial support from the right partners,” said Schadel. “Securing that support is my first and foremost goal, as without it, the rest will not be possible.”

Earlier this year the company introduced all-new packaging to increase “visual appeal and impact on retail shelves.” Also marking this “a period of reinvention” the brand launched into the alt-beef space with vegan beef strips called Best Life. However, Schadel said the company will need more capital as it continues to rebuild, reinvent and renew.

“We plan to diversify our investor pool in the coming months through the launch of a crowd-equity campaign,” Schadel said. “We want to open up the opportunity for ownership in our company to everyone, particularly our community of fans who have enthusiastically supported us through the years. Raising capital through crowd-equity is something we’ve always wanted to do, and this is the right time for us to do it.”

Imperfect Foods Builds Up Exec Team

Online grocery company Imperfect Foods is deepening the bench of its executive team with the appointment of three former Amazon vets: Corey Farrell as COO, Kelly Nigh as Chief Merchandising Officer and Hetu Patel as CFO.

The new hires each bring over a decade of experience at Amazon to the San Francisco based e-grocer as it seeks to become a leader within the sustainable delivery space.

“Hetu, Corey and Kelly each have exceptional backgrounds in rapidly scaling e-commerce businesses,” said Dan Park, Imperfect Foods CEO, in a press release. “Combined, that expertise will allow us to grow the business, while simultaneously improving the customer experience and deepening our commitment to reducing food waste. By bringing in new best-in-class talent, we’re able to continue on our mission in a meaningful and reinvigorated way, further optimizing our internal operations and optimizing the customer experience.”

According to the company Farrell, who ran multi-million dollar businesses within Amazon’s consumables and grocery segments, brings extensive e-commerce merchandising, supply chain and customer care expertise to the role.

Nigh comes to Imperfect after leading merchandising product, sourcing and technology teams in Amazon’s retail and operations and will focus on establishing new supplier partnerships for Imperfect including establishing a private label line.

Additionally, Patel, who previously served as finance director for amazon advertising Prime memberships, will drive the next phase of growth with the brand’s e-commerce and subscription services, Imperfect said.

Dream Pops Brings on New Head of Sales

Dream Pops recruited former Califia Farms Distribution Sales Manager East, Dominik Mielnicki to head up its sales team, Mielnicki announced in a LinkedIn post earlier this month.

Mielnicki brings over a decade of CPG experience to Dream Pops, including over four years at Califia, a variety of sales roles for Bai Brands and for a Red Bull distributor. Mielnicki also invested in Dream Pops in 2020.

I’m beyond excited to share that I’ve joined Dream Pops as Head of Sales and look forward to taking this company to the next level [and] re-imagining the confectionery industry with 100% plant-based products,” he said in the post. “I’ve been blown away by what this team has created to date, and can’t wait to show you all what’s in store.”

The announcement comes on the heels of significant expansion for the plant-based novelty ice cream maker, which launched a line of dessert sauces earlier this year, following the close of a $6 million funding round in November.

Gopuff Names Maria Renz SVP of North America

Quick-commerce delivery platform Gopuff announced that Maria Renz, a former SoFi EVP of Consumer Finance and Wealth Management at SoFi, has joined the company to expand and deepen its presence across markets. Renz will report directly to Gopuff co-founders and co-CEOs, Rafael IIishayev and Yakir Gola.

“Maria has an incredible track record of successfully leading cross-functional teams, strategically executing on new initiatives and constantly innovating,” said Gopuff co-CEO and co-founder Yakir Gola, in a press release. “We are excited for Maria to take the reins and help lead our business into its next phase of growth as a truly global leader with a local focus.”

Renz joins Gopuff with 25 years of retail operations expertise, having held a variety of leadership roles at companies including Amazon, Kraft Foods and Hallmark. During her career she has also served as technical advisor to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and VP of Delivery Experience at Amazon.

“I have centered my whole career around the customer, developing new experiences and enhancements that improve their lives,” Renz said in a press release. “Gopuff is a dynamic company with tremendous opportunity ahead. I am excited to help shape this next chapter of growth and further enhance the customer experience as Gopuff continues to define next-gen commerce across North America.”

Maxine’s Heavenly Appoints New VP of Finance

Better-for-you cookie maker Maxine’s Heavenly named Mayuko Matsumoto as VP of Finance last week. Matsumoto most recently held the same role at fruit bar maker That’s It and brings over a decade of food and beverage financial management experience to the role.

“Mayu’s tremendous experience in the CPG industry and deep understanding of what it takes to accelerate growth will be integral in this next phase of our company,” said CEO Robert Petrarca, in a press release. “It’s an absolute honor to have her on board and inspired by the vision for the Maxine’s Heavenly brand.”

Matsumoto aims to streamline processes, improve efficiency in the supply chain, increase revenue and increase profit margins in her new role. She has also held a range of finance-related positions at Mars Inc. and Health-ade where she improved the cash position and used data to improve decision-making, according to the release.

New Culture Names VP of Biology Josh Kittelson, PhD

Animal-free dairy brand New Culture appointed Josh Kittelson as the company’s new VP of Biology to strengthen its synthetic biology and R&D management expertise and accelerate the launch of its animal-free casein-based mozzarella.

Kittleson previously served as VP of Research at Bolt Threads where he helped launch new products with new animal-free materials, leading to partnerships with renowned consumer brands including Adidas, Lululemon, and Stella McCartney.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join New Culture’s rapidly growing team to provide a delicious alternative to traditional dairy cheese, one of the largest opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of methane-belching cows,” said Kittelson, in a press release. “After almost a decade of adventures with spider silk and mycelial derived materials at Bolt Threads, I’m thrilled to dive into this next career chapter making awesome animal-free cheese at New Culture.”