Miyoko’s Creamery Founder Leaves Company
Leading plant milk dairy maker Miyoko’s Creamery and its founder, Miyoko Schinner, have parted ways as the company enters a new stage of growth. With this, Miyoko has exited as CEO and is no longer involved in day-to-day operations.
Miyoko’s Creamery has partnered with esteemed executive search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, to fill the open seat with a highly qualified, passionate, and mission-driven leader, ready to take the company into its next stage of growth. Company CFO, Jon Blair, has stepped into the role of interim president to guide this transition. Blair brings strong CPG experience and critical plant-based industry know-how to the role, having served as CFO at Rebbl and head of finance at Plum Organics.
Through this transitional period, Miyoko’s Creamery is making significant strides to perfect the art of creating cheese and butter from plant milks. The company continues to bring innovative, delicious and better-for-you dairy alternatives to market that appeal to consumers seeking plant-forward eating, including the company’s recently launched, category first-of-its-kind Cinnamon Raisin Plant Milk Cream Cheese product.
The company remains ever committed to delivering the highest quality vegan products to serve customers and challenge category norms with taste appeal, culinary excellence, and compassion. Through this commitment, Miyoko’s Creamery continues to be a Public Benefit Corporation with a stated public benefit that includes “selling new products that contain only plants, no animal ingredients, in order to eliminate animal suffering, reduce environmental stress, and improve human health”.
“Looking towards the future and exponential growth of the company, we are excited to continue and expand upon our brand mission and uphold our certified B Corporation of innovating products that only contain plant ingredients that are better for human health,” Blair said. “We also plan to make our current portfolio of products more available and to innovate products with simple, vegan ingredients, time-honored techniques, and delicious flavors.
“We continue to be driven by our core company values of craft, compassion, conviviality and courage, with these principles as our guiding light for future growth to come in the coming months and years.”
Miyoko’s cheese and butter are loved by chefs, pizzaiolos, cheesemongers, and sommeliers worldwide. Rapidly becoming a foodie favorite, Miyoko’s products are widely available in over 20,000 retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, Kroger and Walmart as well as in-home delivery services like Whole Foods Market via Amazon delivery and Instacart via select retailers, as well as on Miyokos.com.
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Morinaga Nutritional Foods Acquires Tofurky, Moocho
Morinaga Nutritional Foods, the U.S.-based manufacturer of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu, has acquired Tofurky, a leading manufacturer of plant-based meats in the United States and its sister brand, Moocho. With the acquisition of Tofurky, Morinaga Nutritional Foods will own the #3 retail brand for in the United States.
Tofurky and Morinaga Nutritional Foods have a long-standing relationship, as Morinaga has been a tofu supplier for Tofurky products for 17 years. The acquisition of Tofurky and Moocho will help strengthen the integrated supply chain and future category growth for the brands.
Tofurky will continue manufacturing products at its sustainably-focused facility in Hood River, Ore., where Morinaga Nutritional Foods plans to increase operational excellence with technical staff to maximize capacity. The company will also uphold the core values, original recipes, and product availability of both Tofurky and Moocho brands.
“We’ve been working with the team at Morinaga for nearly two decades, and over that course of time realized the multiple synergies our organizations have across our businesses – from supply chain and operations to new product development targets,” said Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky. “We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved thus far as an independent and family-operated company, but as we enter our next stage of growth, Morinaga will provide the platform needed to help us expand more aggressively in the U.S. and beyond.”
Morinaga Nutritional Foods was founded with a vision to help people lead happy lives through delicious foods that contribute to physical, mental, and environmental health. The company manufactures shelf stable tofu, sold in both the retail and foodservice channels with a focus on quality and aseptic packaging. Offering tofu that is merchandised as an ambient finished good with considerable shelf life, as opposed to traditional refrigerated options, is a differentiated benefit in the category.
“Tofurky has a proven track record of success in the U.S. and is a significant player in the plant-based category with many loyal fans,” said Hiroyuki Imanishi, president and CEO of Morinaga Nutritional Foods. “We’re excited to help bolster both Tofurky and Moocho’s presence in the U.S. while strengthening manufacturing efficiencies and boosting new product development to meet ever-increasing marketplace demand.”
In addition to Tofurky’s sustainable manufacturing facility in Hood River, Morinaga operates a tofu manufacturing facility in Tualatin, Ore. and a Sales and R&D Office in Torrance, Calif. Morinaga plans to leverage synergies from Tofurky’s sales and marketing teams to fine-tune total portfolio approaches to the U.S. marketplace.
All Tofurky and Moocho foods are 100 percent non-GMO and are indulgent ways for everyone from vegans to flexitarians to enjoy their favorite comfort foods.
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Impossible Foods Hires Jagla as Chief Demand Officer
California-based Impossible Foods has hired top consumer goods industry leader Sherene Jagla as its first chief demand officer. Jagla will join the food and climate company to bring its sales, marketing, insights and product development teams into one integrated function under her leadership as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
Jagla’s appointment follows a year of record sales for Impossible Foods. The company continues to be the fastest growing plant-based meat brand in U.S. retail stores, where it experienced more than 50 percent dollar sales growth in 2022. In the food service sector, its flagship Impossible Beef product has been the best-selling product by volume of any plant-based meat brand in the United States.
Named one of the Top Women in Grocery by Progressive Grocer, Jagla joins Impossible with more than 25 years of sales, marketing, and general management experience at Fortune 500 companies across the CPG and food and beverage industries. Most recently, Jagla served as the senior vice president and general manager at Newell Brands, where she was responsible for a $2 billion business across 50 brands in 18 categories. There, she set the strategic direction for the brand’s top customer partnership and created a framework for collaborative growth that combined seven independent operating companies into one scaled organization.
“Our next phase of growth requires tight integration across teams and disciplines, and Sherene knows how to do that and build organizations that scale,” said Peter McGuinness, president and CEO of Impossible Foods. “She’s transformed complex organizations into high-performing businesses, and she has a deep understanding of the food and CPG space. I’ve no doubt her leadership will help transform Impossible into a household name.”
Jagla led sales at Kellogg’s with the world’s largest retailer, where she drove brand innovation in the United States and internationally. Jagla first joined the food company in 2019 to oversee sales of its Kashi cereal brand, expanding the brand’s capabilities to deliver both category and market share growth.
Jagla previously held senior leadership positions at personal care corporation Kimberly-Clark, where she led the commercial sales strategy across brands; retail strategy and execution firm Crossmark, where she built creative solutions for major CPG companies; and beverage company MillerCoors, where she developed breakthrough sales and marketing solutions for their largest brands and customers.
“One of the reasons I was drawn to Impossible is the company’s focus on leading the category and commitment to creating delicious, nutritious, and sustainable food,” Jagla said. “Impossible has created a compelling brand with a strong product portfolio that’s primed for growth. I look forward to working closely with Peter and the Impossible team to build on this foundation.”
Jagla serves on the board of directors for the American Heart Association in Northwest Arkansas and as a guest lecturer at the University of Arkansas Business School.
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