Kite Hill Names CEO
Food industry and brand building veteran Rob Leibowitz joins artisan plant-based leader
Kite Hill, a California-based company and innovator in artisan plant-based cheeses and yogurts, announced that Rob Leibowitz has joined the company as CEO and member of the company’s board. In his new role, Leibowitz will be responsible for strategically leading the growth and innovation agenda for the company's brand and products.
“Rob brings an arsenal of knowledge of the food industry across all channels and his extensive experience will help Kite Hill reach its full potential in meeting current rapidly increasing consumer demand for delicious plant-based foods,” said John Haugen, Kite Hill board member and VP/General Manager, 301 Inc. “Robs' demonstrated ability to drive meaningful marketplace success along with his passion and hands-on leadership, as well as being recognized for inspiring teams against purposeful visions, makes him an ideal fit for Kite Hill.”
Leibowitz carries more than 30 years of management and brand building experience with global “A-List” mega-brands as well as numerous founder-led PE backed portfolio companies. Prior to joining Kite Hill, Leibowitz was CEO of TSG Consumer Partners Food and Pet Portfolio where he led the successful development agendas as CEO of multiple portfolio companies and as Senior Advisor/Board Chairman at thinkThin® and MyFitFoods®.
Prior to TSG Consumer Partners, Rob was General Manager of Del Monte® Foods Pet Division where he was responsible for a significant financial and marketplace turnaround for the Division. Rob had previously spent more than twenty years with Mars Incorporated in general management, marketing, innovation and selling roles across their Petcare, Confectionery, and Ice Cream sectors. At Mars, Rob was widely credited for the successes of the Pedigree, Cesar and Temptations brand franchises.
“Health has always been at the epicenter of my life, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the incredible and passionate team at Kite Hill,” said Leibowitz. “My own beliefs and what I see as the future of food perfectly aligns itself with Kite Hill's mission of offering consumers great tasting plant-based dairy alternatives that also support a healthy lifestyle.”
Kite Hill has differentiated itself in the plant-based category by creating delicious dairy alternatives that marry traditional cheese making craft with modern innovation. Kite Hill sources the highest-quality, non-GMO almonds from California’s San Joaquin Valley to make its almond milk fresh daily. This almond milk is then used as a base for a wide range of products under the Kite Hill umbrella, including cream cheese style spreads, traditionally cultured yogurts and artisanal cheeses. Most recently, Kite Hill announced the addition of a Greek-style, protein-packed yogurt and a fan-favorite Jalapeño flavor to their popular lines of yogurts and cream cheese style spreads.
For more information about Kite Hill, visit www.kite-hill.com.
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