Dive Brief:
- Bel Group has named former Impossible CEO Peter McGuinness as the next chief executive of Bel North America, which houses brands including the Laughing Cow, GoGo Squeez and Babybel cheese.
- The French snack maker said McGuinness will be tasked with accelerating growth, advancing innovation and strengthening the company's North American footprint, which includes five manufacturing plants across the U.S. and Canada.
- Bel Group has looked to expand its better-for-you snacking prowess in the U.S. by capitalizing on trends while expanding its fruit, vegetable and dairy snack offerings.
Dive Insight:
Bel Group said McGuinness steps into the role at "a pivotal moment" for the company as it sees accelerated growth for its dairy and fruit snacks. McGuinness, who was also president and COO of Chobani for nine years, has deep experience in scaling emerging brands in categories including dairy and protein.
"North America, and particularly the United States, is a cornerstone of Bel's future," Cécile Béliot, Bel Group CEO, said in a statement. "Peter is a transformational, values-driven leader whose track record aligns perfectly with Bel's 'two-leg' model – where profitability and sustainability are equally important."
As health-conscious consumers become more intentional with their snacking, GoGo Squeez and other brands prioritizing convenience and better-for-you ingredients have seen demand soar. New dietary guidelines highlighting the importance of dairy, protein and fiber are expected to add yet another boost to the category.
Bel Group is working to add more real fruit to its snacks, teaming with tech company Foodberry on future innovation. It's also expanding capacity at its facilities in Little Chute, Wisconsin, and Brookings, South Dakota, to keep up with higher snack demand.
The appointment comes a little more than a week after McGuinness stepped down from plant-based meat maker Impossible Foods, where he worked to reinvent the brand to attract more meat eaters. Impossible credited him growing the brand and helping it outperform the broader plant-based category.
