Rice’s Honey, a producer of U.S.-only raw and unfiltered honey for the retail, club and foodservice channels, has named Cale Nelson as its new chief commercial officer (CCO). Nelson, a graduate of SMU Cox School of Business, is a 15-year CPG executive and brings with him an extensive proven track record of “igniting value for growing brands through marketing, sales and product innovation,” says Rice’s.
Prior to joining Rice’s, Nelson was chief marketing officer at Dallas, Texas-based Teasdale Latin Foods, a producer of Hispanic food products for retail, foodservice and industrial channels. Its portfolio of companies and brands include Teasdale, Mesa Foods, Rudy’s Tortillas, Jardines, Casa Fiesta, Sontava and Mexene, totaling more than 350 SKUs. With R&D, innovation, product development and quality falling under his department, Nelson spearheaded 50-plus new products in an 18-month time frame and rebranded all portfolio brands. Nelson was named 2017 CMO of the Year by the DFW American Marketing Association.
Before joining Teasdale, Nelson was VP and shareholder of Jardine Foods in Austin, Texas. In four years, he increased sales by 300 percent thanks to innovation, marketing investments and significant increased distribution in Walmart, H-E-B, Safeway, Costco and Whole Foods.
“Joining Rice’s Honey as the CCO is one of the most satisfying career moves I have ever made, especially since I know that my work will support not only this incredible company, born in Colorado in 1924, but also the very future of pollinators,” said Nelson. “Rice’s Honey is poised to enter an exciting new chapter in business, and with our laser-focused vision to educate and share the best honey in the world with even more consumers nationally, I am thrilled to be part of making history.”
Rice’s CEO Tony Landretti said, “Cale is a gem and will be a wonderful asset in the expansion of our company, which has grown exponentially over the past few years. 2018 will be a milestone for Rice’s Honey, as we plan to announce major initiatives for pollinators that will impact not only our future but future generations everywhere.”
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