Mama’s Creations Hires Grocery Vet
Mama’s Creations Inc., a national marketer and manufacturer of fresh deli prepared foods, has appointed senior CPG sales and retail executive Chris Darling to the role of chief commercial officer.
Darling brings more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership within the retail and CPG industries across a variety of public and private companies. Prior to joining Mama’s Creations, he was part of the Boar’s Head executive leadership team guiding national sales. Previously, Darling worked in executive-level positions at such major food retailers as H-E-B, Ahold Delhaize and Albertsons Cos. Additionally, he led two startup retail brands and was the president of Lucky’s Market, a Kroger affiliate. According to Mama’s Creations, Darling has built significant M&A experience, including input into the selection, vetting and integration of acquisitions throughout his career.
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“Chris brings a world-class consumer mindset from a storied career in the deli – where he led world-class commercial organizations at incredibly strategic firms such as Boar’s Head, H-E-B, Ahold and Albertsons – bringing a highly incremental skillset to the Mama’s Creations team,” said Adam L. Michaels, chairman and CEO of East Rutherford, N.J.-based Mama’s Creations. “He is a recognized industry innovator who has applied his expertise with major retail brands, including successes on both national brands and private label development, manufacturing, distribution efficiencies, marketing, merchandising and operational excellence.
“Most importantly, Chris knows how to build a national brand, and particularly in the prepared meal solutions space. He brings the passion for developing compelling propositions for our retail partners,” continued Michaels. “We know the potential strength of the Mama’s brand, and his storytelling, decision-maker-level relationships, and analytical mindset are the perfect delivery system for the next leg of profitable growth in our One Stop Shop evolution. Chris’ experience leading highly successful brands as both a retailer and supplier in the critical fresh meal replacement space makes him the ideal candidate to lead our commercial organization. With the build-out of our industry-leading senior team now complete, we are well positioned to fully realize our long-term growth potential and emerge as a dominant player in the prepared foods space.”
“I am privileged to join Mama’s Creations at such an exciting time in the company’s growth trajectory,” noted Darling. “My primary focus will be to align commercial strategy with business strategy across marketing, sales, product development and customer service. The company’s family of brands has significant opportunities to accelerate – both organically and inorganically – and is well positioned to grow market share in the expanding prepared food space as consumer preferences shift toward fresh, prepared meal options. I look forward to working closely alongside Adam and the team at Mama’s Creations as we enter our next phase of growth and, ultimately, seek to create value for our shareholders.”
Mama’s Creations is a marketer and manufacturer of fresh deli prepared foods, found in more than 8,000 grocery, mass, club and convenience stores nationally. According to the company, its broad product portfolio, born from Mama Mancini’s history in Italian foods, consists of a variety of high-quality, fresh, clean and easy-to-prepare foods to address the needs of both consumers and retailers.
