Urban Farmer, a manufacturer of plant-based specialty dough products, announced that Steve Jungmann has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and will also serve on the Board of Directors. Mr. Jungmann succeeds John Keigher who is assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer after serving as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Helping build Urban Farmer into a leader in the better-for-you frozen food space has been a highlight of my career and I am extremely proud of all that we have accomplished,” said Mr. Keigher. “Transitioning to COO allows me to focus on what I enjoy the most at Urban Farmer - overseeing operations, quality and community affairs while remaining engaged with customers. I am confident in Steve’s industry experience and leadership and excited to support him as we accelerate the company’s move into its next phase of growth.”
“It is an honor to take on this leadership role at Urban Farmer, a company with high-quality, gluten-free products that set it apart,” said Mr. Jungmann. “I appreciate the work John and the team have done in shaping the company, helping take it from a small business to a leading US manufacturer of plant-based specialty products. Building on this strong foundation, we have significant opportunities to drive growth through innovation in our key channels, including co-manufacturing, private label and foodservice, as well as in the Urban Farmer brand. It is a privilege to be working with a highly supportive ownership group in Paine Schwartz Partners and to have the guidance and insight of such an accomplished board of directors. I look forward to working with John, as well as the entire talented and hard-working Urban Farmer team, to capture the opportunities ahead.”
About Steve Jungmann
Mr. Jungmann was most recently the Chief Executive Officer for private equity owned Convenience Valet which is a distributor of over-the-counter and personal care products in the convenience and travel channels. Prior to that, he was the President of Sales for Richelieu Foods, a leading private equity owned, private label frozen pizza topper. Both companies were sold to strategic buyers. Before Richelieu, Jungmann was the Executive Vice President of Merchandising for the retail side of SuperValu Foods. He joined SuperValu after leaving his role as Senior Vice President/General Manager for Solo Cup’s consumer product division. Jungmann started his career with Kraft Foods where he spent 20 years in a variety of sales and strategy roles across multiple geographies. His last role was Vice President of Category Management where he led trade spending and category management across all Kraft Divisions. Mr. Jungmann has a passion for team leadership, change management and driving results. He holds a Master in Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois.
About Urban Farmer
Founded in 2013 and based in Manteno, Illinois, Urban Farmer is a fully integrated manufacturer of better-for-you, plant-based specialty dough products. Its innovative and differentiated portfolio of plant-based specialty dough products includes pizza crusts, topped pizzas, flatbreads, breadsticks, cheese bread, tortillas, empanadas and sandwich buns. The Company has a diverse, rapidly expanding blue-chip customer base, including the leading better-for-you pizza brands and major retailers across North America. The Company’s state-of-the-art gluten-free facilities meet the highest levels of food safety protocols and have the capabilities to scale and meet evolving customer needs.
About Paine Schwartz Partners
A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that focuses on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors. The firm's investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies.
