Flowers Foods Names Michelle Lorge President of Simple Mills
Brand veteran and former chief marketing and innovation officer succeeds founder Katlin Smith, who will transition to an advisory role
Flowers Foods, Inc. announced that Michelle Lorge has been appointed president of Simple Mills. Lorge will report directly to Ryals McMullian, chairman and CEO of Flowers Foods. She succeeds Katlin Smith, founder and CEO of Simple Mills, who has made a personal decision to step down to spend more time with her family and on philanthropic interests, and will continue with the company in an advisory capacity.
Lorge, an 11-year veteran of Simple Mills, has built the brand alongside Smith, transforming the company from an early-stage startup into a leading natural cracker, cookie, bar, and baking mix brand with distribution in more than 30,000 stores nationwide.
Most recently she served as chief marketing, innovation, and mission officer, where she led product innovation, built a purpose-driven marketing organization, and advanced wellness and sustainability initiatives that have helped redefine industry standards. Lorge joined Simple Mills in 2015 as one of the brand’s first employees. Prior to joining Simple Mills, Lorge spent more than a decade at Kraft Foods where she led brand marketing and product innovation for Philadelphia, A.1., Grey Poupon, and Cool Whip.
Smith founded Simple Mills in 2012 after recognizing the transformative power of food in improving overall well-being. Under her leadership, the company grew into a category-leading brand carried by major retailers including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, Walmart and Costco, alongside a strong e-commerce presence on Amazon. She has been widely recognized for her entrepreneurial achievements, receiving honors such as Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. 30 Under 30, and Progressive Grocer’s Top Woman in Grocery.
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