Heading Hometown Food is a former president of Ferrara Candy.
At Brynwood Partners VIII L.P. and Brynwood Partners VII L.P., Hometown Food Co. is a portfolio firm. Tom Polke has been appointed president and chief executive officer.
After 16 years at Ferrara Candy Co., where he most recently served as president and chief integration officer, Mr. Polke has joined Hometown Food. He oversaw the combination of Ferrara Pan and Farley’s & Sathers to form Ferrara Candy Co. earlier in his career.
He is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
“We are thrilled to announce Tom Polke’s joining the Hometown Food team,” Brynwood Partners chairman and chief executive officer Henk Hartong stated. “The company will immediately benefit from Tom’s extensive background managing complex businesses in the food category.”
In June 2018, Brynwood Partners established Hometown Food Co. with the intention of purchasing a portfolio of brands owned by The J.M. Smucker Co. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. sold the Arrowhead Mills and Sunspire brands to Hometown Food in 2019.
You may also like:
Food security in emerging nations: issues and remedies
Are drinks the secret to increasing cannabis use among consumers?
Managing the lack of labour for mushroom picking
The company’s portfolio includes the exclusive U.S. rights to the Hungry Jack, White Lily, Jim Dandy, Arrowhead Mills, Sunspire, and Martha White brands, as well as the Pillsbury shelf-stable baked items, including Funfetti. The majority of Hometown Food’s goods are produced at its plants in Hereford, Texas, and Toledo, Ohio. There are over 300 full-time workers at the company.