Freshpet Inc., based in Secaucus, New Jersey, says that Stephen Weise, EVP of manufacturing and supply chain, will begin a transition to retirement, which is anticipated at the end of 2022.
Weise will continue to lead incremental production capacity planning and certain other manufacturing responsibilities through the end of 2021 and then focus exclusively on incremental capacity planning during 2022 until his retirement. Weise will continue to serve on the leadership team during this time.
Chris Taranto, VP of supply chain, will assume responsibility for the company’s logistics operation, and Ricardo Moreno, VP of manufacturing, will maintain oversight of the manufacturing operations at its Freshpet Kitchens. Both Taranto and Moreno will report directly to Billy Cyr, CEO.
“No single person could replace what Steve has done for Freshpet, and we are so grateful for his many years of service. During his tenure, we have grown our net sales by almost 4x and by the time he fully retires next year we will have installed more than $1 billion in net sales capacity. We are incredibly grateful to him for his leadership and willingness to help our organization execute an orderly transition during this important time in our growth cycle,” said Cyr.
“Ricardo Moreno, whom we hired last year as a key part of our succession planning, is now fully prepared to take on all the day-to-day manufacturing operations as VP of manufacturing, and Chris Taranto, VP of supply chain, will add logistics to his responsibilities. We are fortunate to have built a deep bench that has the capability to step into these important roles while Steve will retain responsibility for long-term capacity planning until his full retirement at the end of next year, 2022.”
Freshpet’s mission is to improve the lives of dogs and cats through the power of fresh, real food. Freshpet foods are blends of fresh meats, vegetables and fruits farmed locally and made at Freshpet Kitchens. The food is prepared using natural ingredients, cooking them in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve their natural goodness. Freshpet foods and treats are kept refrigerated from the moment they are made until they arrive at Freshpet Fridges in local markets.
Freshpet foods are available in select mass, grocery (including online), natural food, club and pet specialty retailers across the U.S., Canada and Europe. To learn more, visit freshpet.com.
