Hometown Food Company Appoints Tom Polke as President and Chief Executive Officer

CHICAGO, Jan. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- January 28, 2020 ‒ Hometown Food Company ("Hometown Food"), a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners VIII L.P. and Brynwood Partners VII L.P., is pleased to announce the appointment of 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.  Mr. Polke will be based out of the company's Chicago, IL headquarters.

Mr. Polke comes to Hometown Food with over 16 years of senior leadership experience from Ferrara Candy Company, 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 Company with revenue, at the time of the transaction, of approximately $1 billion annually.  Mr. Polke is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

About Hometown Food Company:

Hometown Food Company, based in Chicago, IL, was formed by Brynwood Partners in June 2018 to acquire a portfolio of brands from The J.M. Smucker Company.  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 iconic 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, OH and Hereford, TX.  The company employs nearly 300 full-time employees.  For more information on Hometown Food, please visit www.hometownfoodcompany.com.

About Brynwood Partners:

Brynwood Partners, founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies.  The firm targets non-core brands or companies operating exclusively in the consumer sector.  Since inception, Brynwood Partners has acquired over 50 brands from 20 different corporate sellers.

Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $1 billion of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, fund-of-funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth family investment offices and financial institutions.  Brynwood Partners' most recent fund, Brynwood Partners VIII L.P., has $649 million of committed capital and made its final close in January 2018.  For more information on Brynwood Partners, please visit www.brynwoodpartners.com. 

SOURCE Hometown Food Company

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