People Moves: Grandy Organics Welcomes Back Former COO, Chefs Life Names CEO

Maxwell Heads Back to Grandy Organics

Granola brand Grandy Organics has rehired its former COO and acting CEO Rob Maxwell after nearly four years away from the snack and breakfast brand.

Maxwell, a former Whole Foods regional executive, had a first stint at Grandy from 2016 to 2019. He returns to the company following time spent at RodeoCPG – first as VP of growth, and then chief growth officer – and merchandising specialists Dirty Hands as SVP of Growth Services.

Beyond satisfying a desire to move back to running a brand, Maxwell’s second go-round at Grandy was motivated by what he described as “unfinished business” with the snack company, explaining that he departed at a time when co-founders Aaron Anker and Nat Pierce were determining the future of the company. Pierce served as Grandy’s COO from 2019 until deciding to step away in 2022.

“I always loved Grandy and at the time that I left, it was a 50/50 partnership and [Pierce and Anker] had to sort out what their path forward was because they wanted different things. There wasn’t a lot that I could do at that time,” Maxwell said. “I think, for me, there was a lot that I wanted to do at Grandy that we just couldn’t in the moment..it always felt undone.”

Less than a month into the job, Maxwell said he’s already busy getting the granola brand’s new 10,000 square foot warehouse online. In addition, the company is making updates to its production facility to improve energy efficiency and working through new R&D concepts, he said.

The brand’s offerings are also seeing growth in the market, with two new granolas and a new Coconola launching globally at Whole Foods Market in January. In other distribution news, Grandy will launch in Costco’s new Maine store this month, followed with a rotation through other Northeast stores.

Doughlicious Names Russell Barnett New Managing Director

Former My/Mochi CMO Russell Barnett has been announced as the new managing director of British cookie dough snack company Doughlicious.

Barnett has held a number of executive marketing positions over the years at CPG brands like popchips, Gardein, KeVita and Just Water before spending the last six years at My/Mochi.

The London-based company will tap into Barnett’s expertise in frozen desserts. Along with ready-to-bake cookies and biscuits, Doughlicious makes ice cream and cookie dough frozen novelties, all of which are vegan and gluten-free. The company is reportedly preparing to expand into North America, Saudi Arabia and Australia. In April, it filed as a corporation in Delaware as The London Dough Co.

Working initially as My/Mochi’s CMO, Barnett became managing director at the brand after investment fund Lakeview Capital acquired the company in January 2020. Barnett also helped build out the brand’s Ice Cream with Mochi bits pint format in 2017.

Doughlicious is available at UK grocery chains Tescos and Waitrose as well at Costco and Whole Foods Market.

Food Tech Company Rä Foods Appoints New President

Rä Foods – the parent company to Wild About Sprouts, Mixmi Frozen Yogurt and Wild About Bread – named Barry Didato as its new president.

Drawing from a background in finance, Didato most recently served as CMO for plant-based foods investment company the EatWell Group as well as an advisor and director of strategic investment for the family office of the Saudi Royal Family. Didato started working for Rä Foods in March and was appointed as President in September.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Rä Foods was founded by Jeffrey Sholl – a former Häagen-Dazs food scientist – and wife Sue Harlander – the first woman on the FDA Science Board – in 1998. The holding company oversees three companies: probiotic frozen yogurt brand Mixmi, ready-to-bake bread dough label Wild About Bread and functional fresh produce producer Wild About Sprouts. The company is expecting to roll out new frozen novelty innovation in the Mixmi line in 2024.

Wild About Sprouts is currently available in about 5,000 retailers and is about to start a pilot program in Whole Foods Markets in the Northwest and rolling out in select Sprouts Farmers Market locations in Q4.

Chefs Life Names CEO

After five years launching and running his own brand strategy firm Aperture CPG, Jaime Schapiro has joined artisan oil company Chefs Life as its first CEO.

Launched by celebrity chef Brian Malarkey in 2021, Chefs Life makes premium cooking and finishing oils. The brand had been run by general manager Jason Moore prior to his departure in July.

According to a LinkedIn post by Schapiro, Aperture CPG will slowly wind-down as he transitions into a “full-time role” where his “focus will shift towards Chefs Life.” Through Aperture, Schapiro advised brands like cold brew coffee delivery platform Joyride, pretzel snack maker Britzels and ice tea company Granny Squibb’s.

Butterfly Adds CPG Investment Partner

Private equity firm Butterfly has added Visha Patel as a partner.

Patel joined the Butterfly team last month after 13 years as managing partner at global investment firm KKR. According to his LinkedIn profile, Patel made 12 investments at KKR including deals with US Foods, Cardenas Markets and Upfield, a Dutch CPG plant-based food company.

Butterfly has invested in CPG brands Pete and Gerry’s Organics, Orgain, Bolthouse Organics, MaryRuth Organics and Chosen Foods.

Other New Appointments:

• Bimbo Ventures – the venture arm of Bimbo Bakeries USA – has added former General Mills executive Grant Vandenbussche as its director who will oversee the firm’s investments in food, tech and ingredient companies.
• Chicago-based consumer brands agency C.A Fortune has appointed former Presence Marketing executive Andrew Bell as SVP of natural channel sales.
• Tony’s Chocolonely announced Sadira E. Furlow as its chief of global brand and communications officer. Furlow comes to the chocolate company after five years in a variety of marketing roles at PepsiCo and, most recently, as the CMO of fintech company Happy Money.