Hometown Food Co., a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners VIII LP and Brynwood Partners VII LP, has appointed Tom Polke as its new president and CEO.
“We are delighted to announce the addition of Tom Polke to the Hometown Food team. Tom’s extensive background managing complex businesses in the food category will immediately benefit the business,” said Henk Hartong, Brynwood Partners’ chairman and CEO.
Polke will be based out of the company’s Chicago, Illinois, headquarters.
Polke has more than 16 years of senior leadership experience with Ferrara Candy Co., where he served as president since 2012 and most recently as the company’s chief integration officer. Earlier in his career, he led the successful merger between Ferrara Pan and Farley’s & Sathers to create Ferrara Candy Co., with revenue, at the time of the transaction, of approximately $1 billion annually. Polke is a CPA and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Hometown Food Co. was formed by Brynwood Partners in June 2018 to acquire a portfolio of brands from The J.M. Smucker Co. In 2019, Hometown Food acquired the Arrowhead Mills and Sunspire brands from The Hain Celestial Group Inc. The company’s portfolio includes the exclusive U.S. rights to the Pillsbury shelf-stable baking products, including Funfetti, along with Hungry Jack, White Lily, Jim Dandy, Arrowhead Mills, Sunspire and Martha White brands. Pillsbury, Funfetti, Arrowhead and Hungry Jack are leading national brands in the shelf-stable baking and breakfast categories, and White Lily, Jim Dandy, Sunspire and Martha White are regional brands known for flour, organic chocolate, cornmeal and grits.
Hometown Food manufactures the majority of its products from its facilities in Toledo, Ohio, and Hereford, Texas. The company employs nearly 300 full-time employees.
