FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Mateo, CA
Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC, (“Paine Schwartz”), a global leader in sustainable food chain investing, today announced that Edward “Ed” Haft is joining the firm as an Operating Director.
Mr. Haft brings more than 30 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods and food manufacturing industries. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of former Paine Schwartz portfolio company, Sunrise Growers, and currently serves on the boards of directors of Paine Schwartz portfolio companies FoodChain ID, Wawona Packing and Lyons Magnus.
Kevin Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer and a Founding Partner of Paine Schwartz, said, “We have worked closely with Ed for many years and are pleased to have him join our firm in a high impact role. He has a fantastic track record of success in senior management and CEO roles at Sara Lee and Sunrise Growers. Under our ownership, Ed led Sunrise Growers to significantly expand its domestic operations, successfully launch international operations and extend its market leadership position, all of which facilitated a successful realized investment for Paine Schwartz. Ed has and will continue to serve on the Boards of Paine Schwartz portfolio companies FoodChain ID, Lyons Magnus and Wawona Packing Company. We look forward to benefitting from Ed’s strategic expertise and operational experience as we continue to enhance the firm’s domain expertise and leadership position in the food and agribusiness space.”
“I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with Paine Schwartz for many years, including working together at Sunrise Growers and serving on the boards of other portfolio companies. I am excited about continuing to work even more closely with the team as a member of the firm,” said Mr. Haft. “In this new role, I look forward to supporting Paine Schwartz’s portfolio companies and to helping the investment team identify and assess new investment opportunities.”
About Ed Haft
Mr. Haft previously served for 14 years as President and CEO of Sunrise Growers, a $400 million market leader in frozen fruit solutions and former portfolio company of Paine Schwartz. During his tenure as CEO, he oversaw a strategic reorientation of the business that resulted in more than a decade of rapid category growth, add-on acquisitions, geographic and customer expansion and significant automation projects. Prior to Sunrise Growers, Mr. Haft spent 18 years at Sara Lee Corporation, with the last 6 years as President of the Sara Lee Frozen Bakery. Mr. Haft currently serves as chairman of the FoodChain ID board of directors, and as a director on the boards of Wawona Packing and Lyons Magnus. He has been an active board member of the California Strawberry Commission for over a decade. He holds a BA in Economics and English Literature from Tufts University, and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.
About Paine Schwartz Partners
A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors. The firm’s investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain, and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies. For further information, please see www.paineschwartz.com.
Contacts:
Andy Brimmer / Aaron Palash
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
+1 212-355-4449
