Supply chain operations
10 co-manufacturer selection experts
These ten professionals have held roles managing co-manufacturing, contract manufacturing or external manufacturing for the companies they worked for. A reader can learn how brand owners find, evaluate and onboard co-manufacturers, and how they manage cost, quality and capacity once production is outsourced.
Professionals to explore
01—10Ben Nasseby
LinkedInExperience: Senior Manager Strategic Sourcing - Contract Manufacturing · Impossible Foods
Former Senior Manager Strategic Sourcing - Contract Manufacturing at Impossible Foods (2023–2025), after serving there as Manager Strategic Sourcing - Contract Manufacturing & CAPEX (2021–2023). Before that he was Procurement Manager - Contract Manufacturing at The Bountiful Company (2019–2021), and he has been Head of Strategic Sourcing, Factor_ Form at Factor_ since September 2025. His headline reads Global Sourcing & Contract Manufacturing Leader.
Gautam T.
LinkedInExperience: Contract Manufacturing Manager, Innovation · Clif Bar
Director, Contract Manufacturing at Premier Nutrition: The Good Energy People since January 2026; his profile also lists Director, Supply Chain Integration at SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands since 2021. At Clif Bar he was Contract Manufacturing Manager, Innovation (2015–2017) and Sr. Operations Innovation Manager (2018–2021). His profile describes overseeing end-to-end supply chain strategy and execution for multiple brands at SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands.
Jayne Caffrey
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Co-Manufacturing · Sovos Brands
Vice President of Co-Manufacturing at Sovos Brands (2016–2019); the profile also lists a VP Comanufacturing role at Sovos Brands as current. Her other roles include Vice President of Sourcing at Rao's Specialty Foods, Inc. (2016–2017) and Senior Director of Strategic Sourcing at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) (2010–2015). Her profile describes overseeing co-packing, supply chain, production scheduling and strategic sourcing for national food products manufacturers and distributors.
Jeff Newton
LinkedInExperience: Contract Manufacturing Operations Manager · Conagra Brands
Former Contract Manufacturing Operations Manager at Conagra Brands (2010–2019), where he also served as Director of Commercialization (2014–2015). Before Conagra he was Co Manufacturing and Gourmet Quality Manager at Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA (2005–2010), and he has been Vice President Operations at Maya Kaimal Foods, LLC since November 2019. His profile describes extensive supply chain experience in food manufacturing.
Jennifer King
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, External Manufacturing - Accelerator Division · Mars
Senior Director, External Manufacturing - Accelerator Division at Mars since May 2026. Her profile says she was selected to lead a global initiative combining the legacy Mars Health & Wellness Global division and Kellanova North America external supply chains into a single external manufacturing organization spanning brands such as KIND, RXBAR, Kashi and Pop-Tarts. She was previously Senior Director Supply Chain at Kellanova (2023–2026).
Matt Switzer
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director Contract Manufacturing & Supply · Jenny Craig
Former Senior Director Contract Manufacturing & Supply at Jenny Craig (2018–2022), then Vice President Supply Chain there in 2023. He was later Sr. Contract Manufacturing Manager at Lundberg Family Farms (2023–2025) and has held a senior strategic sourcing manager role there since September 2025. His profile describes experience optimizing end-to-end supply chain processes and driving operational efficiency.
Miguel Quevedo
LinkedInExperience: Quaker Oats Supply Chain & Co-Manufacturing Lead · PepsiCo
Former Quaker Oats Supply Chain & Co-Manufacturing Lead at PepsiCo (2013–2025), a role in which the profile says he directed end-to-end operations supporting US$125M in annual revenue and 30K tons a year of volume, oversaw sourcing strategy, raw material imports and conversion to finished goods, and delivered a manufacturing fill rate above 95% across 20+ markets.
Peter Futris
LinkedInExperience: Director of Contract Manufacturing Beverage · Nutrabolt
Director of Contract Manufacturing Beverage at Nutrabolt since March 2024. His other roles include Vice President Special Projects Supply Chain at Hello Bello (2021–2024) and Director Of Operations at Chef John Folse Manufacturing (2020–2021). His profile describes expertise in contract manufacturing and multi-site, multi-product production, with a focus on quality, cost and operational metrics.
Praveen Mishra
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Global External Manufacturing Contract Manufacturing · Bacardi
Former Vice President Global External Manufacturing Contract Manufacturing at Bacardi (2019–2023), after serving as Bacardi's Vice President Procurement & Strategic Sourcing, Americas (2012–2019). He has since worked in Global Procurement at Tropicana Brands Group (2023–2024) and as Vice President Manufacturing at Epic Group since 2024. His profile cites contract manufacturing among his areas across CPG, beverage and FMCG industries.
Steven Hinkle
LinkedInExperience: Director, Contract Manufacturing & Ops. Innovation · Clif Bar
Former Director, Contract Manufacturing & Ops. Innovation at Clif Bar (2018–2021), followed at Clif Bar by Director of Sourcing, Ingredient & Packaging (2021–2023) and Director, Mondelez North American Ingredient Sourcing (2023–2025). He has been Senior Director, Manufacturing Base at Chomps since November 2025. His profile highlights supplier development, contract negotiation and using market intelligence to mitigate risks.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's product category and scale to yours, since beverage, snack, frozen and supplement co-manufacturing differ in capacity, minimums and quality systems. Prefer people whose role sat in sourcing or contract manufacturing if your decision is about choosing a partner, and people with broader operations roles if it is about running production after a partner is chosen.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What criteria and scorecard do you use to shortlist and choose a co-manufacturer, and which ones matter most in practice?
- 02How do you structure pricing, minimum runs and capacity commitments in a co-manufacturing agreement?
- 03What goes wrong most often in the first production runs with a new co-manufacturer, and how do you prevent it?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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