Gabriella’s Kitchen has appointed former Hain Celestial executive Jamie Fay as president and chief operating officer of the Canada-based cannabis- and hemp-infused foods maker.
Fay was previously the chief customer officer and general manager at Hain Celestial, a US foods manufacturer with brands such as Earth’s Best baby food and Terra snacks, and was responsible for American and international sales, strategic planning and operations.
He has also held senior management positions at US confectionery giant Mars and Nature’s Path Foods, a producer of organic breakfast products located in Canada.
Ontario-based Gabriella’s Kitchen was founded in 2003 by sisters Gabriella and Margot Micallef and also produces better-for-you food products to sit alongside its cannabis-infused and CBD lines. The sisters launched the company, which listed on the Canadian stock exchange last year, as they sought to find healthy food options for cancer sufferer Gabriella, who has since passed away.
Commenting on Fay’s appointment in a statement today (21 February), Micallef said: “When someone of Jamie’s calibre sees the opportunity to bring his mainstream consumer packaged goods experience to the cannabis world it points directly to the upside potential in the branded cannabis space which Gaby operates in. Many agree that there are numerous similarities between the cannabis industry and the early days in the organic and natural products industry.”
Fay is the latest ex-Hain Celestial executive to move into the cannabis space. The company’s founder and former chief executive Irwin Simon stepped down last year after 25 years. He joined Ontario-based Aphria, which manufactures pharmaceutical-grade cannabis, as an independent chair to its board of directors last December.
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By GlobalDataAnd Maureen Putman, who served at Hain from 1996 to 2017 in various roles including chief innovation officer, is now a senior adviser to Gaby.
Fay said of his appointment: “I am beyond excited to be joining the strong leadership team. I am particularly impressed with the dual channel sales strategy employed by Gaby which allows the company to sell its infused products in the licensed cannabis channel and its un-infused and CBD products in conventional grocery.”
