New supply chain VP at Freshpet
Jay Dahlgren will lead the company’s manufacturing, technology, and supply chain units.
The appointment aligns with Freshpet’s strategy to drive margin expansion, support long-term growth, and boost profitability.
Freshpet CEO Billy Cyr said, “The addition of Jay to our management team, with his proven execution and deep expertise in manufacturing, supply chain, and operations, will further strengthen Freshpet, improve our operations, and support our plan to drive margin enhancement.”
Prior to taking on the role of Executive Vice President of Manufacturing, Technology, and Supply Chain earlier this month, Dahlgren held a consultant position within the company.
He brings over 30 years of experience in various firms like JM Smucker Co., where he served as President of Operations from 2015 to 2020, Del Monte Foods, Meow Mix, and Nestlé Purina.
Overall growth
Freshpet has made “significant progress” over the last quarter, lowering logistics and disposal costs to improved levels.
As part of its plan to grow capacity in 2023, the pet food manufacturer started its new Freshpet Kitchen in Ennis (Texas). It is expected to be the most profitable manufacturing facility as scale and throughput improve.
At the 2023 ICR Conference in Orlando, Freshpet revealed its operational improvement plan and is investing $1 billion (€930.7M) in patented technology, processes, and infrastructure.
The pet food manufacturer is looking to post net sales earnings of $575M (€535M) for 2022. Further details will be revealed with its Q4 2022 results announcement late next month.