Matt Okeson
Head of Growth, Innovation, Research & Development
LALA U.S., Inc.
Matt Okeson spearheads value creation for LALA U.S., Inc., serving as Head of Growth, Innovation, Research & Development. In this role, Matt leads a team focused on identifying actionable insights, developing sustainable growth platforms, and creating meaningful, disruptive innovation ideas.
Prior to his current role, Matt spent nearly 10 years in various supply chain roles. At LALA U.S., he led commodity procurement and contract manufacturing activities. Matt also held several roles in PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division, where he led procurement initiatives for core agricultural commodities including vegetable oils, grains, and potatoes.
A native Texan and agriculturalist, Matt graduated from Texas A&M University with honors. Matt enjoys spending time outdoors with his partner, Brown, and Irish Doodle, Bailey. He is also a licensed private pilot and loves to travel.
Innovation Meets Authenticity: LALA's Focus on Hispanic Consumers to Fuel Growth
Already one of North America’s largest dairy companies, Mexico’s Grupo LALA continues to grow and expand its U.S. footprint from Dallas. Moreover, its LALA U.S. business is looking to double sales in five years involving new product innovation across several areas. One core platform involves the fast-growing Hispanic market where the company competes with LALA® brand yogurts, smoothies, crema, milk and cheeses. LALA U.S. also is committed to organic growth fueling its other lines include Promised Land Dairy® (milk), Skim Plus® (fat-free milk with more calcium and protein than regular milk) and Nordica® (Scandinavian-style cottage cheese). Come hear Matt Okeson, LALA U.S. Head of Growth, Innovation, Research & Development, discuss how LALA U.S. has re-energized its innovation program and how it mines consumer insights and new technologies for growth.