People Moves: James Ren Joins GoodSAM For Growth

Regenerative food company GoodSAM has brought on James Ren, former head of Food Merchandising at Thrive Market, as VP of revenue and growth.

The news comes six months after Ren left his post at the ethically-minded online grocer, later launching CPG consultancy Renovate Brands (soon to be renamed Renovate Studios), which he will continue to build alongside his new post at GoodSAM.

Ren will be tasked with guiding GoodSAM through its next growth phase across both retail and direct-to-consumer channels. He told Nosh that in addition to “building smart, scalable revenue across key channels,” he is also focused on how the brand connects with consumers both in real life and digitally.

With over 15 years of CPG and retail experience, having developed category strategy during his time at Thrive in addition to holding leadership roles at Walmart, Mars and Reckitt, Ren comes to GoodSAM at an integral time in the company’s growth. In March, the company closed a $9 million funding round to scale production, innovation and its supply chain. During his time at Thrive, Ren helped “grow emerging brands into national players” alongside his mission-driven team and hundreds of brand founders and operators.

“It reminded me just how connected we all are – buyers, brands, brokers, investors, founders, and more,” Ren said. “That interconnectedness is the secret sauce. The best ideas, partnerships, and moments of momentum come from that shared energy. And at the end of the day, we’re all here doing the same thing: feeding people. That’s what makes this work meaningful. I’m bringing that perspective to GoodSAM, along with the same strategic lens and high-bar execution I carried at Thrive.”

Through his consultancy firm, Ren will continue supporting a small group of founders and partners that are focused on building regenerative and equitable supply chains. He believes that there’s “real value” in working on both businesses simultaneously.

“The outside perspective I gain through Renovate sharpens how I show up at GoodSAM, and my work at GoodSAM strengthens what I bring back to Renovate,” he explained. “It creates a flywheel of insights and value that benefits both businesses and the founders I support. At the end of the day, our industry works best when we treat it like the interconnected ecosystem it is. We rise and thrive together.”

Insignia, Second Nature Swap CEOs

The Hispanic food company behind 505 Southwestern, Insignia International, has named Jason Parasco as its new CEO. Parasco previously helped scale Sovos Brands from $100 million to a $1 billion company as head of sales. In his new role, Parasco aims to scale the brand platform nationally with a “street fighter mentality” and an eye toward strategic acquisitions in the premium Hispanic segment.

Parasco will replace outgoing CEO Adam Butler, who this week was named CEO of snack platform Second Nature Brands, effective in August. Butler said in a press statement he has been charged with leading the CapVest Partners-owned brand platform through its “ambitious growth plans.”

Butler succeeds Vic Mehren, who has served as CEO since 2019. Under Mehren’s leadership the company, which owns snack mix brands including Kar’s Nuts and Sahale Snacks, has invested heavily in its manufacturing footprint to expand production capacity and grew from a “$190 million heritage business into a $500 million-plus snacking leader,” according to a company statement.

In other people move news:

• Mexican food brand Juanita’s appointed Simon Stopol, a former leader at Conagra Brands with over two decades of CPG experience, to the newly created role of SVP of transformation. The company also named Phil Brewer, formerly of Pinnacle Foods, to the role of SVP of Operations.
• Dr. Praeger’s named former Kraft and Mondelēz executive Alexis Brescia as the company’s chief supply chain officer.
• Duke’s Mayo parent company Sauer Brands appointed three new executives this month, including Jeremiah Ashukian as CFO, Wendy Fiel as general counsel and Tom Lee as chief strategy and transformation officer.
• Cacique Foods, a Hispanic food company, named Pedro Silveira as its new CEO. Most recently Silveira served as president of North America ventures at Mondelēz International.