Hippeas has hired food and beverage veteran Paul Nardone as the CEO of the US snacks maker.
A spokesperson for Hippeas, which produces organic snacks with chickpeas as the main ingredient, confirmed its previous chief executive Joe Serventi left the business at the end of last year. Livio Bisterzo, the founder of the New York-based business, has been filling the CEO role since Serventi’s departure and now becomes executive chairman.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Bisterzo was serving as chief executive before Serventi filled the position in 2018 having been promoted from general manager after joining the business the previous year.
Nardone, who was installed on 12 April, has worked in the food and beverage industry for more than 30 years. His career includes stints as CEO at Annie’s Homegrown, an organic food company now owned by General Mills, drinks firm Stirrings, Immaculate Baking, and snacks maker PopCorners, which was owned by BFY Brands before PepsiCo took it over in 2019.
Bisterzo said: “As we continue to build excitement and momentum around the Hippeas brand, Paul’s vast experience and perspective in building and scaling emerging brands will be invaluable.”
Nardone added Hippeas has further room for growth as “plant-based diets and a strong focus on health and wellness continue to become more mainstream”.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataHippeas was founded in 2016 when it was launched in the US and the UK by Green Park Snacks, which remained a shareholder in the business after an announcement earlier this year that Hippeas had sold an undisclosed minority stake to specialist investor The Craftory. The spokesperson confirmed founder Bisterzo still heads up Green Park Snacks.
