Ferraro Foods Acquires GDS Foods Inc.
Ferraro Foods, one of the country’s largest specialty distributors of food and foodservice supplies to pizzerias and Italian restaurants, has acquired New Jersey-based GDS Foods Inc., an importer and distributor of Italian food products to pizzerias throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Ferraro’s partnership with the Sussex, N.J., based business, with nearly $50 million in annual sales revenue, expands Ferraro’s growing network of distribution hubs in a crucial market for pizzerias, adds hundreds of customers to its roster and helps broaden Ferraro’s industry leading offering of specialty imported Italian food products.
“We are excited to partner with GDS, a terrific family-run business with strong roots in the area going back 35 years. We love the business, we love the people, and they have a loyal customer base that aligns perfectly with Ferraro’s. Just as important, GDS is pizza to the core, so they are a perfect fit for the Ferraro culture,” said Dan Hill, CEO, Ferraro Foods.
The GDS partnership is the latest in a robust acquisition pipeline under development by Ferraro, aimed at increasing its market share in critical Northeast pizza markets – home of the country’s largest concentration of independent pizzerias. The news comes on the heels of Ferraro’s announcement of its addition of a 230,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Long Island.
“Ferraro Foods is pizza,” Hill added. “That message is reverberating throughout the industry as we continue to increase our customer base as the premier provider in the specialty Italian foods space.”
Headquartered in New Jersey since its founding as a family business nearly 50 years ago, Ferraro Foods is America’s leading distributor of specialty Italian foods and foodservice supplies to pizzerias and Italian restaurants. With a concentration in the critical pizza markets of the Northeast and customers spanning 26 states serviced by distribution divisions in Upstate New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana, Ferraro Foods boasts annual sales revenue of nearly $1.3 billion. Working every day to earn and build trusted relationships by delivering an unrivaled menu of authentic, top-quality offerings, unmatched specialized category expertise and consistently exceptional value and service, Ferraro Foods is pizza.
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Impossible Foods Adds Veteran Execs to Team
Impossible Foods has added two seasoned executives to its leadership team to oversee several critical business functions.
Veteran industrial biotechnology leader Sunil Chandran is joining Impossible Foods as its chief science officer to oversee the company’s R&D and innovation departments, with a focus on improving Impossible’s existing products and introducing new innovations to its product portfolio. Chandran joins Impossible from Amyris Inc., where he spent more than 17 years bringing new fermentation-derived ingredients to market, most recently as its chief science officer and head of R&D.
Accomplished supply chain leader Rob Haas is joining Impossible Foods as its chief supply chain officer, where he’ll oversee all parts of Impossible’s supply chain, from ingredient sourcing to dynamic forecasting. A 30+ year industry veteran with experience in the United States, APAC and Western Europe, Haas brings nearly 20 years of leadership experience from Anheuser Busch InBev, where he served as the global VP of ingredients, supply chain as well as the CEO and president of Metal Container Corporation, an AB InBev subsidiary. Most recently, Haas was the chief supply officer at EverGrain Ingredients, a sustainable ingredient company created and backed by AB InBev to upcycle its barley grains into high quality, nutritious ingredients and plant proteins.
“Sunil and Rob are exceptional leaders who know how to run critical business functions at scale,” said Peter McGuinness, president and CEO of Impossible Foods. “In addition to the depth and breadth of their expertise, they’re also both genuinely motivated by our mission and want to help us succeed in service of that. I’m excited to usher in this next phase of growth under their leadership.”
The hires follow several key executive appointments for Impossible Foods in the past six months as it continues to invest in its leadership team and growth strategy. In January, the company welcomed its first chief demand officer, Sherene Jagla, as well as its first chief marketing and creative officer, Leslie Sims. Earlier this month, Sims launched a major summer marketing effort with the introduction of two new national ad campaigns designed to welcome consumers into the plant-based category and introduce them to Impossible products.
Impossible Foods is on a mission to positively impact people and the planet by making delicious, nutritious meat from plants with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat from animals. The privately-held food company was founded in 2011 to combat climate change by taking a scientific approach to making the world’s best meat — from plants. Every nugget, burger, and patty we sell uses less land and water and generates less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the animal version. We make plant-based chicken, beef, and pork products for every meal — breakfast, lunch and dinner — with a goal of replicating the flavors, textures, and cooking characteristics that meat eaters crave.
Impossible Foods products are designed in California, produced in California and the Midwest, and are available in the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
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Whole Foods Names Supplier All-Star Awards Winners
Whole Foods Market announced the recipients of its annual Supplier All-Star Awards, recognizing 15 brands that raise the industry bar for quality, innovation, value and social responsibility, and are aligned with Whole Foods Market’s Core Values, such as caring for local communities and practicing win-win partnerships.
This year’s recipients, who are being honored for their contributions throughout 2022, include brands ranging from 2 to 28 years on Whole Foods Market’s shelves. The awards, now in their 11th year, were previously called Supplier of the Year Awards.
“We are proud to recognize this dedicated group of suppliers and the work they do to serve our customers, advance our mission and propel the industry forward every day,” said Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, chief merchandising and marketing officer at Whole Foods Market. “From emerging local brands to longstanding partners beloved by our team members and customers, these suppliers are essential to our business and continue to raise the bar for excellence within the grocery space. Congratulations to this year’s all-stars on this well-deserved recognition.”
Whole Foods Market leaders, category experts and merchants select winners across all departments and product categories, including Private Label, Produce, Specialty, Seafood, Meat, Grocery, Culinary and Whole Body. Suppliers are also nominated by Whole Foods Market’s dedicated Local Foragers, who are responsible for finding new and emerging local producers within the communities served by Whole Foods Market.
Whole Foods Market’s Supplier All-Stars for 2022:
Abbot’s Butcher
Athletic Brewing Co.
Blue Stripes Urban Cacao
Ciruli Brothers
Eel River Organic Beef
FRIAL
Jasper Hill Farm
Kettle Cuisine
New Chapter
Organic Valley
Pangea Shellfish Company
Patagonian Lamb
SIMPLi
The Elite Flower
Vital Farms
For more than 40 years, Whole Foods Market has been the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer. As the first certified organic national grocer, Whole Foods Market has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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