We blend care and creativity to nourish the world.
Our Story
“If you look at our history, being a vehicle for the greater good has been the ethos of this company.”
– Brian Griffith, Owner and Executive Chairman
Action follows purpose. Collaboration leads to innovation. And more often than not, the future you can envision is the future you can make a reality. This was certainly true in 1919 when Enoch Luther (E.L.) Griffith, a Chicago salesman, and his son Carroll Ladd (C.L.) Griffith, a pharmacologist, took the first bold steps toward improving America’s food industry. The Griffiths’ aim was to introduce food science to the food industry. Why? Because they believed they could improve food safety while creating healthier, better-tasting food.
Fast forward four generations and a century later, and it’s the same purpose-driven approach that continues to guide Griffith Foods today, and for the next 100 years
Our Founding
At a time when the nation’s food supply couldn’t be trusted, Enoch Luther (E.L.) Griffith and Carroll Ladd (C.L.) Griffith recognized the need to introduce food science to the food industry through personal customer relationships. Thus began the storefront start of the company at 429 W. 79th Street in Chicago.
North American Growth
On May 14, 1929, Griffith’s first company outside of the United States was established in Toronto under the leadership of E.L. Griffith’s nephews, Maurice and Luther Rector. Griffith introduces specialty flours, liquid seasonings, and imports German Prague Salt, which dramatically reduced the required curing times for ham, bacon, and sausage.
Product Development
Working to create safer, healthier and better-tasting food, Griffith utilized innovative technologies and processes to enhance the taste and safety of food products while reducing cost and speeding up production – developing Prague Powder “The Safe Fast Cure”, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, an essential and affordable building block of flavor, antioxidant seasonings and more.
Going Global
Then, as now, Griffith grew by helping its customers grow – expanding its product line and services with ingredients and technology made to assure dependable flavor, texture, and quality. E.L.’s grandson, Dean L. Griffith joins the company and pioneers a global spirit to adapt and meet the needs of the cultures we serve.
Increasing Innovation
Following new operations in South America, Europe, and Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, Dean Griffith restructured the company in 1978 to preserve its global footprint. Further pushes for improvement involved collaboration between culinary teams and food scientists, allowing Griffith to expand within the food industry.
Unit Paks offer processors and foodservice operations optimized batching and back-of-house efficiencies. Griffith Foods introduces HVP flavor extensions, Flava Glaze for BBQ, authentic liquid blends, and unique coating systems with increased durability and functionality in baked and fried applications.
Costa Rica Founding
Griffith de Centroamérica, as the company was originally called, was founded in 1971 by Juan Carlos Eisen, a Chilean business administrator, who emigrated from his native country to work in the Griffith Mexico operation and later, from an exploration of business environments in Central America, arrives in Costa Rica to inaugurate the opening of Griffith Centroamérica in the La Pitaya neighborhood, across from Cenada, this being Griffith’s first location in Costa Rica. Since its founding, Griffith Foods in Central America has developed a strategic relationship with its customers, which continues to strengthen and allow joint growth in the region and in the world.
Colombia Founding
Griffith Colombia was founded on October 7, 1976, thanks to the vision of Carlos Arensburg Latorre, a chemical engineer from Bogotá, whose father, Ismael Arensburg who emigrated from Argentina to Colombia, had a food factory – Alicol de Colombia – that imported raw materials from Griffith for the production of its products. Carlos worked with his father in Alicol, and it was in this setting that he began to explore the possibility of bringing a representation of Griffith to Colombia. Thus, after several trips to Chicago (United States) and several negotiations, a partnership was formed between Frigorífico Continental (belonging to Grupo Empresarial Antioqueño), Cunit (now Alimentos Cárnicos del Grupo Empresarial Nutresa), Carlos Arensburg and Griffith, which gave rise to the birth of Griffith Colombia.
Evolution and new scopes for Central America
Later, in the 1980s, operations were opened in Panama with the creation of another manufacturing plant and labor talent was taken from Costa Rica to work mainly in the powder area. During the 80s, Griffith played a very important role in the international soybean market, mainly with producers in Brazil, who housed soy protein products with which Griffith had the representation for Central America and Mexico. This is a time in which Griffith Central America had within its concepts an agro-industrial development, this included the processing of fresh products from vegetables such as chili in brines and other products.
Purposeful Evolution
By acquiring new companies and further developing its core capabilities, the company blended together diverse approaches and points of view to help customers grow. Griffith acquired Custom Culinary® in 1991 to expand its soup, base, sauce, and gravy offerings.
Two new, state-of-the-art Culinary Centers are opened at the Alsip headquarters and in Europe to provide customers with additional product development resources. New facilities are built in Brazil, Southern China, and South Korea.
Brazil Founding
Griffith Foods Brazil, currently known as GL FOODS, was funded in 1991 in the city of Guarulhos, São Paulo. The plant, focused on liquids, seasonings and coating systems started in a small facility and grew through the years at the same location, expanding its area. The company spent its operation in Brazil, serving customers of different markets, such as foodservice, protein processors and other food processors.
Built for Success
Griffith’s sustainability platform has been a key driver of change looking toward the future.
By following the four strategic thrusts – shared value, leverage technology, partner ecosystems, and health and nutrition – a positive impact has been made through endeavors like the Griffith Sustainably Sourced (GSS) program and clean-label products. These initiatives are both a validation of Griffith Foods’ past successes and an essential step in our continuing push to blend care and creativity to nourish the world.
Griffith Foods acquires a liquids facility focused on the production of sauces and soups. New manufacturing units are built in Mexico, India, and Northern China. Additional culinary centers are constructed within targeted facilities throughout the world. In 2019, the company launches TEROVA™, a supplier of sustainably sourced and superior spices, herbs, botanicals, and innovative ingredients, in order to scale sustainable sourcing efforts.
Grow and new markets in Central America
With the new century, the foray into the Caribbean market took place, which has always been a desirable topic for Griffith Foods. It began mainly with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, followed by Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, with the consolidation of strategic businesses for the evolution of the company in the Central American and Caribbean region. As a result of the great growth of the company, in 2003 we acquire the facilities in Lagunilla de Heredia, where the current plant is located. All the adaptations are done and it is inaugurated that same year.
New era in Colombia
In 2007, Óscar Lizarazu, who had been the General Manager in Colombia for 8 years, is called to occupy the general management in Griffith Costa Rica and the regional presidency. In that same year, Griffith became the sole owner of the company, by buying its shares from Zenú (now Nutresa), Cunit and Mrs. Paulina de Arensburg. Óscar Patiño, a chemical engineer from Bogotá, who worked as Sales Manager, was invited to assume the General Management of Griffith Colombia. Under his leadership, the Management group is reorganized and initiatives with strategic accounts and relationships with customers as partners are promoted, quality becomes an “obsession” and the brand of condiments and sauces Le Griff is transformed into Zafrán to consolidate itself as the regional brand aimed at the institutional market.
New Scopes in the Brazilian Market
Following the steps of the other business units in the region, Brazil launches the Zafrán® brand in the country, featuring specialized sauces and coating systems to the foodservice market, with partnerships of the main distributors in the country and expanding its sales structure.
New Era in Brazil
A new era begins to GL Foods Brazil: as the business grew fast, the need for a bigger and better space became essential and a relocation from the Guarulhos plant to Jundiaí city, also in São Paulo state, was the solution that led to a beginning of a new time for the business and the employees. The new facility was launched with a bigger production and administrative spaces, focusing on sustainability and new technologies to support our core and new capabilities.
New Scopes in the Andean Market
We opened operations in Peru and Ecuador to be served from Colombia with the aim of expanding the market to the Andean region. A sales representation in each of these countries allowed us to begin to know the markets of Peru and Ecuador, understand the consumer, the sector and begin to offer the best-in-class products and solutions.
New Challenges
Oscar Lizarazu was called to assume the general management of the CENAM unit and continue with his position as President of the CASA region. In 2019 Óscar Patiño was called to assume the general management of the Brazil unit, and from that moment on Zayda Martínez, a public accountant with an MBA and specialized in international finance, who to date was the region’s financial director, has assumed the General Management of the Andean region – Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. She was our first female manager who has put her heart and all the feminine, brave, loving and caring touch to the company. After having gone through a pandemic situation that affected an entire planet, all our leaders has continued to show us how with creativity and care that we can continue to live as a family, take care of each other and keep together to nourish the world.
Custom Culinary® Launch
Following the global growth of Griffith Foods in the foodservice market, Zafrán® brand becomes Custom Culinary® in the whole South America and Central America Region, expanding its portfolio with the sub-brands: Custom Culinary® Zafrán® (ready to serve solutions), Custom Culinary® Chef’s Own™ (ready to cook solutions) and Custom Culinary® Gold Label (ready to create solutions) including the launch of alternative protein products focused on foodservice operators.
A New Era
Today, the world is Griffith Foods’ market. Its central pursuit builds on its legacy of blending care and creativity to nourish the world. Countless global partners rely on the company for seasonings, spices, coatings, sauces, and more, while its sustainability efforts support local and regional food ecosystems around the world.
Our Values
Born from our purpose, our values are at the heart of everything we do.
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Make the Future Better
We are optimistic and courageous while making choices in pursuit of our dreams. Sustainability informs our curiosity, imagination, and innovation. We are passionate about leaving our planet a better place for future generations. We believe the best is yet to come.
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Work Together Globally
We recognize our diversity creates a unique strength, and we learn from our colleagues and partners globally. By collaborating, communicating, sharing, and learning, we create better together.
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Behave like Owners
We are passionate about creating long-term value. We believe that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and strive to make a difference. We trust each other and treat talent as a valuable resource. We believe in strategic risk-taking and in doing the right thing, especially when it is hard to do.
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Build Customer Success
Recognizing that our success depends on our customers’ success, we work to create value and ensure success by understanding, anticipating and prioritizing customer needs. We build a mutual commitment to derive sustainable long-term value.
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Deliver Results
We take personal responsibility for meeting our commitments. We are focused on achieving objectives aligned to our triple bottom line of people, planet, and performance. We execute with excellence, measure results, and reward success.
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Act like Family
We are a caring family company where everyone has the opportunity to grow, follow their own personal “Purpose” and find fulfillment in their work. We support each other and demonstrate mutual respect. We nourish people’s well-being – physical, mental, and financial.
Our Family of Companies
Griffith Foods is a global product development partner specializing in food ingredients from seasoning and sauces to breadings, coatings, flavors, bakery products, and more.
Custom Culinary® specializes in providing foodservice and food processing professionals with real, authentic branded and proprietary culinary flavor systems.
TEROVA serves modern society with premium, sustainable ingredients, and products grown with a farmer first approach and full traceability.
Nourish Ventures is a strategic partner to new ventures, accelerating their ability to scale and grow, focused on creating the food system of the future – delicious, nutritious, sustainable.
Joint Ventures
Join Our Family
When you join Griffith Foods, you are not only joining our family, you are joining a community of change-makers. At Griffith Foods, you are encouraged and empowered to make meaningful contributions and discover innovative solutions. Learn more about our career opportunities and join us on our journey to nourish the world.
Our Leadership
We believe in leading by example. Connected by a shared purpose, our leaders are committed to the well-being of every Griffith Foods employee, while maintaining responsible stewardship of the People, Planet, and Performance.
Brian Griffith
Executive ChairmanBrian Griffith is the Executive Chairman of Griffith Foods, marking the fourth generation of his family to lead the company. Griffith Foods is a purpose-driven, family-owned global developer and maker of customized food recipes for food service restaurants, protein and snack companies. Griffith Foods has a unique combination of capabilities in the form of Insights, Culinary, Food, and Sensory Science that translate into some of the world’s most loved seasoning, coating and sauce recipes blended to exacting specifications that are culturally authentic and taste great. Founded in 1919, Griffith has grown and expanded globally to include a presence in over thirty countries.
Brian has a deep and fundamental belief in “business as a force for good” and therefore organized the company to drive further impact through Griffith’s Triple Bottom-line sustainability platform of People, Planet & Performance across all business units worldwide. Our Purpose at Griffith Foods is “We Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World….which means as a purpose-powered organization, we are focused on the integration of their Purpose, Values and Sustainability platform actioned through strategy & innovation to deliver positive change and impact that is good for people (all stakeholders) and the planet.
We play at the intersection of Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Health & Nutrition…”Better for You, Better for the Planet.”
TC Chatterjee
Chief Executive OfficerTC Chatterjee was named Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Before becoming CEO, TC held positions as Chief Operating Officer, as well as Group President across some of Griffith’s fastest-growing regions, including Central and South America, Asia Pacific, and India – Middle East, as well as Custom Culinary, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Griffith Foods™.
“Griffith’s global footprint and our ability to add value to our customers and their customers through our expertise and experience in food science, culinary arts, sensory and consumer insight help us offer a range of capabilities to enable our customers’ growth and innovation. We are proud of our ability to provide these locally as well as globally.”
Matt West
Executive Vice President and CFOMatt West joined Griffith Foods in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer following a 27-year Finance career in global food and consumer products companies. Matt leads the planning and strategy for Griffith’s financial performance as well as the company’s funding and investment strategies.
“At Griffith Foods™, we operate in numerous countries that each have strong opportunities to grow our business. Our cash flow and capital investments are the fuel for our growth,” Matt said. “In Finance, we balance the reinvestment of company profits with funding from our financial partners to support the best business opportunities around the world. My team and I put it all together.”
Wim van Roekel
President, North AmericaWim van Roekel joined Griffith Foods in 2017 after spending 21 years with global food ingredients companies across the globe. Wim currently leads the North American business, having previously led our European team for 4 years.
“Agility and continuous differentiation are critically important for complex business in North America. By living our purpose, we enjoy the daily challenge of supporting our customers in the exciting North American marketplace. Our team provides creative culinary solutions through close collaborations with partners and customers in our value chain, adding value to their businesses. I’m both proud and passionate about the role Griffith Foods plays in that arena.”
Oscar Lizarazu
President, Central & South AmericaAs an organizational leader with a food science background, Oscar intimately understands the customer’s development challenges. He uses his unique perspective to ensure his team is meeting specific customer needs at every level.
President of the Central and South America group since 2007, Oscar makes a point to regularly meet with customers. “I like to talk one-to-one with customers so I personally hear and understand their ideas and challenges,” he says. “It helps our team focus on how we can best bring critical value to their products – to increase their profits, improve customer satisfaction, and create real market advantages.”
Filip De Reymaeker
President, Europe & AfricaFilip is an entrepreneurial and business builder with a proven track record of driving strong profitable growth in the food and beverage industry across four continents. In addition to his successful progressive leadership roles in commercial operations and general management, Filip has strong passion for innovation and sustainability which is invaluable in leading the European organization on the next steps of our journey toward our 2030 Aspirations, in service of our Purpose.
Kandarp Singh
President, Asia PacificKandarp brings more than thirty years of experience in Food & Beverage Processing, Packaging, and Consumer Packaged Goods [CPG]. He has experience operating in progressive global, regional, and country leadership roles across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.
Throughout his career, Kandarp has demonstrated expertise and leadership in roles driving profitable growth, strategy, innovation and capability. He is also passionate about customer centricity, talent development and sustainability.
Jim Thorne
President, Nourish Ventures and Senior Vice President, Partnerships & StrategyJim Thorne is currently President of Nourish Ventures and Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to the leadership role, Jim was the Vice President, General Manager for Griffith Foods Canada from November 2014 to October 2017, and Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Marketing for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. from October 2017 to October 2020.
Jim has over 30 years of experience in the food industry. With an MBA from Queen’s University Canada, Jim has worked for Nabisco, Campbell Soup, and Maple Leaf Foods in a variety of marketing, sales, and general management leadership roles. Prior to joining Griffith Foods in 2014, Jim was President and CEO of Marsan Foods based in Toronto Canada.
Ben Wexler
President, Custom Culinary®Ben joined the Griffith Foods family in 2018 as President, Custom Culinary, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffith Foods. Ben came from Danone North America where he was General Manager of the their Foodservice and Convenience Store Channels. Prior to that he worked in various Marketing and Sales leadership roles at multiple consumer product companies including WhiteWave Foods, Kellogg’s, and Quaker Oats. Ben received his MBA from Northwestern University, and studied for his Bachelor’s degree at Wake Forest University.
Henry Artalejo
Senior Vice President, Global Human ResourcesHenry Artalejo is Griffith Foods’ Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, a position he assumed in July 2019. He is responsible for leading the strategic, analytical, and tactical aspects of the people function globally. This position plays a pivotal role in enabling the execution of Griffith Foods’ Purpose-driven strategy through and with people throughout the organization.
Henry brings twenty-five years of leadership experience in global human resources with leading companies including Motorola, Lucent Technologies, Sara Lee (based in Utrecht, Netherlands), Diesel, and Godiva. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Human Resources, North America for Ingredion Incorporated.
In addition to a breadth of generalist HR leadership, Henry brings specialist depth in talent management, learning & development, and diversity & inclusion. He also speaks fluent Spanish.
Henry holds a master’s degree in business administration from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Management, in Chicago, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Greg Metschke
Vice President, Global PurchasingGreg Metschke is Vice President, Global Purchasing for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. , originally joining the Griffith Foods team in 2007. Prior to the Global role, he held the positions of Vice President, North America Purchasing and Director of Purchasing for the Griffith Foods US business.
Greg has 20 years of experience in the food industry. With an Accounting degree from the University of Nebraska, Greg has experience as a commodity trader with Farmland Industries in Kansas City, MO and purchasing experience in a retail and CPG environment with Safeway, based in Pleasanton, CA and Heinz based in Pittsburg, PA.
Rob Pellicano
Global Vice President, MarketingRob Pellicano is the Global Vice President of Marketing for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. Core to Rob’s role is to further develop Griffith Foods’ global Marketing capabilities with a particular focus on segment strategy development and activation, the elevation of insight capabilities, and to enhance the Griffith Foods’ brand with its customers and partners. Rob is also an active member of the Griffith Foods’ Global Innovation Council where he leads Marketing and Communication related efforts for our innovation strategy across all areas of our business.
Most recently, Rob served as Vice President of Global Marketing for Griffith Foods. Rob joined the organization in 2007 and has held various positions, including Senior Director of Marketing for Custom Culinary®, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Griffith Foods.
Rob has over 25 years of experience in the food industry including over 11 years within Unilever’s Foodservice division prior to joining Custom Culinary®. Rob has an undergraduate degree in Marketing from West Virginia University and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.
Matt Vieceli
Senior Vice President, Global Business DevelopmentMatt Vieceli is currently Senior Vice President, Global Business Development for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. Matt has held various roles over 14 years with Griffith Foods. Prior to leadership role, Matt was the Vice President, Global Accounts from May 2014 to June 2018.
Matt has over 26 years experience in the food industry. With a BS in Food Science and a minor in Chemistry from the University of Nebraska, Matt has worked for Wisconsin Cheese, Northland Laboratories, Dean Foods, and Tate & Lyle in a variety of Product Development and Commercial Management Leadership roles. Prior to rejoining Griffith Foods in 2014, Matt was Vice President, Global Enterprise Accounts for Tate & Lyle.
Bill Wolsky
Vice President, Global Supply ChainBill Wolsky is currently Vice President, Global Supply Chain for Griffith Foods Worldwide Inc. based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to this leadership role, Bill was the Vice President of Global Operations for Nestle and has over 30 years of experience in the food industry. Bill has worked in a variety of manufacturing, logistics, operational and general management leadership roles and has an executive degree in Business from the IMD Business school, and undergraduate degrees from the University of the Pacific in California.
David Lestage
Senior VP of R&D, GlobalDavid Lestage joined Griffith Foods as Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development, in February 2026.
With more than twenty years of experience, David brings a wealth of knowledge and a track record of success across Food and Biotech industries globally. From startups to multinational companies, his entrepreneurial mindset in business development and product design has led to double-digit growth in multiple markets, significant intellectual property with over 30 patents and publications, and global recognition, including the Technology Pioneer Award at the World Economic Forum. David is a regular speaker and advisory board member to food conferences around the world and is a founding member of the Tilia Innovation Collaboratory for Chicago-based food companies.
David comes to us from Mars where he held the position of Senior Vice President R&D. David’s previous roles included Chief R&D Officer for Kellanova, Vice President R&D at Kellogg Europe, Vice President R&D Pepsico Foods NA, and leadership positions for Pepsico Foods in Asia Pacific.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors comes from rich, diverse backgrounds that lend well to Griffith Foods’ Purpose. We are proud to have this dynamic group of leaders usher us into the next century of purpose-driven business.
Brian Griffith
Executive ChairmanBrian Griffith is the Executive Chairman of Griffith Foods, marking the fourth generation of his family to lead the company. Griffith Foods is a purpose-driven, family-owned global developer and maker of customized food recipes for food service restaurants, protein and snack companies. Griffith Foods has a unique combination of capabilities in the form of Insights, Culinary, Food, and Sensory Science that translate into some of the world’s most loved seasoning, coating and sauce recipes blended to exacting specifications that are culturally authentic and taste great. Founded in 1919, Griffith has grown and expanded globally to include a presence in over thirty countries.
Brian has a deep and fundamental belief in “business as a force for good” and therefore organized the company to drive further impact through Griffith’s Triple Bottom-line sustainability platform of People, Planet & Performance across all business units worldwide. Our Purpose at Griffith Foods is “We Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World….which means as a purpose-powered organization, we are focused on the integration of their Purpose, Values and Sustainability platform actioned through strategy & innovation to deliver positive change and impact that is good for people (all stakeholders) and the planet.
We play at the intersection of Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Health & Nutrition…”Better for You, Better for the Planet.”
TC Chatterjee
Chief Executive OfficerTC Chatterjee was named Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Before becoming CEO, TC held positions as Chief Operating Officer, as well as Group President across some of Griffith’s fastest-growing regions, including Central and South America, Asia Pacific, and India – Middle East, as well as Custom Culinary, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Griffith Foods™.
“Griffith’s global footprint and our ability to add value to our customers and their customers through our expertise and experience in food science, culinary arts, sensory and consumer insight help us offer a range of capabilities to enable our customers’ growth and innovation. We are proud of our ability to provide these locally as well as globally.”
Matt West
Executive Vice President and CFOMatt West joined Griffith Foods in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer following a 27-year Finance career in global food and consumer products companies. Matt leads the planning and strategy for Griffith’s financial performance as well as the company’s funding and investment strategies.
“At Griffith Foods™, we operate in numerous countries that each have strong opportunities to grow our business. Our cash flow and capital investments are the fuel for our growth,” Matt said. “In Finance, we balance the reinvestment of company profits with funding from our financial partners to support the best business opportunities around the world. My team and I put it all together.”
Dean Carter
Board MemberMr. Dean E. Carter has been Vice President of Human Resources & Shared Services at Patagonia, Inc. since May 2015. Mr. Carter provides strategic leadership and direction of Patagonia’s global human resources, finance, and legal teams and is charged with developing initiatives to support Patagonia’s nearly 2,000 employees worldwide in carrying out its mission.
Prior to joining Patagonia, he served as the Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President of Talent & Human Capital Services at Sears Holdings Corporation and has supported more than 220,000 employees in the United States and Asia and partnered directly with more than 30 Business Unit Presidents. In 2013, he was awarded the Top 10 Breakaway HR Leaders by the Global HR Summit. He has a BS in speech/organizational communication from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Workforce Science Fellow of Northwest University School of Law in Chicago.
Joseph Maslick
Board MemberMr. Maslick joined Griffith Foods in 1970 and was quickly promoted to management positions in the USA and then in Corporate finance. In 1988, he was elected Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In 1990 he was elected Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Griffith Foods until his retirement.
Mr. Maslick holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from the DePaul University of Chicago. He has served as a Board Member of Illinois Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Greater Phoenix Area, and is active with the Mayo Clinic Foundation in Arizona, raising funds for its cancer research activities.
Mary Wagner
Board MemberMary K. Wagner is a recognized executive leader and board director with a reputation for creating innovative products, managing risks, handling corporate crises, and managing food quality and safety. She is a strategist, an operational leader, and a team builder who has been an executive in branded global retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. She has created growth through consumer-facing innovation and brand building.
Mary holds a Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors (ACCD) and is a Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). She is a member of Women Corporate Directors, as well as a Belizean Grove member. Mary is a graduate of Harvard’s Program for Management Development (PMD), and a participant in the Kellogg Family Governance program. She has a BS and MS from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Jose-Luis Bretones
Board MemberJose-Luis is a board director, former public-company executive, and founder with more than three decades of global experience spanning industrial manufacturing, metals distribution, food & beverage, packaging, and sustainabilitydriven supply chains. He has operated at scale across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, advising both family-owned enterprises and publicly traded companies through periods of growth, transformation, and complexity.
Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, Jose-Luis holds an MS/BS in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII) and an MBA earned while serving in global leadership roles. He began his career at AT&T Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies, where he optimized manufacturing processes and later led EMEA supply chain re-engineering initiatives for the Switching Business Unit, reporting into global leadership while based in Oklahoma City.
He holds executive education credentials from Kellogg School of Management, INSEAD, Goldratt Institute, and APICS, and is a recognized thought leader in supply chain strategy, sourcing, and governance. His work and perspectives have been featured in leading industry publications and books, including Strategic Supply Chain Management (McGraw-Hill) and Vested Outsourcing (Palgrave Macmillan). In 2024, he was recognized in 100 Hispanic Board Members Making a Difference by BoardProspects.
Jose-Luis lives in Evanston, Illinois, and is the proud father of two daughters.
Joseph Schmieder
Board MemberJoe Schmieder is a senior advisor with the Family Business Consulting Group, where he focuses on family business succession planning and strategic business planning. He works closely with family‑owned organizations to increase long‑term value by guiding leadership transitions and helping families navigate complex business and relationship challenges.
Before joining FBCG, Joe spent more than 25 years leading multi‑generation family businesses as a non‑family executive. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Custer Workplace Interiors, where he successfully guided the family‑owned dealership through one of the industry’s most severe downturns. Earlier in his career, Joe was Divisional President at Oliver Products Company, a 114‑year‑old family business serving the medical, food, and graphics markets, with responsibility for the global performance of its largest business unit. During his 18 years at Oliver, he worked closely with second‑generation ownership while helping develop third‑generation family leaders.
In addition to his advisory work, Joe has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame, teaching family business strategy. He is the author of Innovation in the Family Business: Succeeding Through Generations and has written extensively on family enterprise topics, presenting to family business leaders around the world.
Joe holds a Master of International Management from Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan University.
Sonia Lo
Board MemberSonia Lo is the Managing Director of Chalsys Impact LLC, a direct investment and advisory firm founded in Sep 2004, with offices in London and San Francisco. The firm’s focus is on growth stage ventures delivering transformation in food, agriculture and infrastructure. In addition to serving on the board of Griffith Foods International, she serves on the board of California Giant, Inc. a global B-Corp whose mission is to deliver premium berries and nourish their communities. At Cal Giant, she serves on the HR & Compensation committees, reflecting a professional and personal passion for driving dignity in agricultural jobs. She serves on the ESG Committee and main board of NASDAQ listed Urban-Gro, a design build architecture and engineering firm focused on indoor agriculture, and serves on the board of Hart Dairy Creamery, a private circular-economy dairy. Her direct investment work has invested over $120M in 15 global growth-stage companies in clean energy and agtech, exiting 5 to date. She has been appointed one of the Global 100 Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum, 2 years in a row, and one of Management Today’s leading 35 under 35.
Ms. Lo earned her AB in Political Science from Stanford University and an MBA with Honors from Harvard Business School. She holds Professional Chef and Pastry Qualifications from London and City College and completed certifications in Green Supply Chain Management and Zero Energy Architecture. She speaks 7 languages and has lived in 16 countries.
Partnerships and Ecosystem
