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New CEO: “HIPPEAS has all the tenets to become a household name and a true lifestyle brand” By Elizabeth Crawford With this week’s appointment of industry veteran Paul Nardone as the new CEO of HIPPEAS, the organic chickpea snack brand is building an all-star executive team with a strong track record of high-profile exits to help it leverage pandemic-inspired shifts in shopping to get closer to consumers and meet their demand for plant-based, better-for-you snacks.
Nardone brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the food and beverage CPG industry, including as the former CEO of PopCorners owner BFY Brands, which PepsiCo acquired in late 2019, and the CEO of Annie’s Homegrown, Stirrings and the Immaculate Baking Co.
With this week’s appointment of industry veteran Paul Nardone as the new CEO of HIPPEAS, the organic chickpea snack brand is building an all-star executive team with a strong track record of high-profile exits to help it leverage pandemic-inspired shifts in shopping to get closer to consumers and meet their demand for plant-based, better-for-you snacks.
Hippeas picks former Annie s and PopCorners head as new CEO fooddive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fooddive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dive Brief:
Chickpea-based snack brand Hippeas raised $50 million in an investment round from The Craftory Limited. Hippeas said it would use the money to increase innovation, expand production and grow distribution.
Hippeas also named Greg Buscher, who has 25 years of C-suite experience and a background in operations and manufacturing, as CFO. In addition, the company added César Melo to its board of directors. Melo, an investor and advisor to early-stage companies in the areas of better-food, better-planet, and better-technology, was previously an executive at companies including Mondelez International and PepsiCo.
What began as a company selling puffed chickpeas has evolved into a powerhouse with a meaningful share of the better-for-you snacking market. Hippeas founder Livio Bisterzo said the company wants to evolve into a snacking platform with a presence across multiple snacking categories.
HIPPEAS® Organic Chickpea Snacks has raised $50M from
The Craftory Limited. The Craftory is a revolutionary investment house that is a notably counter-corporate and anti-traditional VC. The brand intends to use the funds to boost innovation, expand production, increase distribution, and amplify its positive impact. The financing consisted of direct investment and secondary purchases of shares from existing HIPPEAS® shareholders, including CAVU Venture Partners.
HIPPEAS Organic Chickpea Snacks
HIPPEAS®, known for its iconic yellow bag with a chickpea smile, debuted in Q2 of 2016 in the US and the UK, with a line of Organic Chickpea Puffs that quickly took over grocery aisles with unprecedented traction. In 2019, the brand launched HIPPEAS® Organic Tortilla Chips, chickpea-based tortilla chips. Both lines are USDA Organic, certified gluten-free, vegan and totally delicious. To date, the brand has secured shelf-space at 50,000 stores such as Starbucks, Whole Foods, Target, CVS,