Day-Lee Foods, Inc., a U.S. producer of high-quality Asian meals and appetizers, has announced the appointment of Kotaro Fujita as general manager, Brian Kim as sales manager, foodservice and private brands, and Kenny Lopez as national key accounts manager. The new hires further bolster the foodservice and club channels as well as company’s private label business, and will be instrumental in developing new growth opportunities for the company.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Kotaro, Brian and Kenny to the Day-Lee Foods team, as their extensive background in food and consumer packaged goods (CPG) will support our vision of making our dishes more accessible to consumers across the country,” said Craig Jaunzemis, director of sales & marketing for Day-Lee Foods. “Their incredible experience, passion and commitment to the brand will help us highlight our unique offerings in the frozen foods and foodservice space, allowing the brand to reach new heights.”
Fujita joins Day-Lee Foods as general manager and has already helped lead a variety of projects in the Processed Foods Division to enhance productivity and cost efficiency. Through building cohesive teams, Fujita has implemented new procedures supporting better flexibility in production that will ultimately foster future growth.
As for Kim, he steps into the sales manager, foodservice and private brands role at Day-Lee Foods. His vision is clear – to get frozen dishes under newly created private brands into the homes of more families, as well as underscore the high-quality product attributes for foodservice. Kim hopes to provide more delicious options to the freezer aisle and believes that the company’s commitment to quality, taste and convenience is its key differentiator in foodservice. Additionally, Kim will lead Day-Lee Foods’ new partnership with lead broker Acclaim Foodservice, which is now the company’s sole representation in the Southern California region.
Bringing more than 20 years of CPG experience to the table, Lopez joins the Day-Lee Foods team as national key accounts manager. A seasoned sales expert, Lopez has served in various roles at PepsiCo, Dean Foods, Pinnacle Foods and ConAgra Foods as a strategic and tactical leader for various initiatives. With a customer-focused approach and entrepreneurial spirit, Lopez’s goal is increase awareness of the brand’s high production standards, superior quality control and premium ingredients. Lopez is looking forward to leading the Club Channel business and supporting Day-Lee Foods’ partnership with Costco.
