Welch’s has appointed Andrew Hartshorn to be its chief brand & innovation officer, effective immediately. The position is a new one for the fruit-based foods and beverages processor, and Hartshorn will be expected to lead the company’s Brand Development and Product, Pack & Process teams in the role.
As part of his 25-plus years of experience, Hartshorn joins Welch’s after spending nearly three years as chief marketing officer at Nature’s Way. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at Danone and spent more than 22 years in leadership positions at PepsiCo, overseeing such brands as Gatorade, Propel and Tropicana in the U.S., among others.
Welch’s said in the announcement that the creation of this position and Hartshorn’s appointment underscore the commitment of the company to become more agile and consumer driven. Uniting the brand and innovation teams, Welch’s believes will streamline collaboration, increase the speed of decision-making and strengthen the product pipeline.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.