Kar’s Nuts, a manufacturer of premium and better-for-you snacking products under the Kar’s, Second Nature and Sanders Fine Chocolatiers brands, has announced the appointment of Victor Mehren as chief executive officer. Mr. Mehren will lead a company that has invested significantly in growth, innovation, and superior customer service, as well as adjacent product categories through its acquisition of Sanders in late 2018. Nick Nicolay, Kar’s Nuts president and CEO since 1995, will remain actively involved in the company as its chairman.

“We recruited Vic to lead Kar’s Nuts’ next phase of growth and innovation,” said Mr. Nicolay. “Vic is a proven consumer packaged goods executive with over 26 years of experience successfully leading and growing innovative snacking and confectionary brands, with a focus on strong sales, marketing, innovation and brand-building strategies.”

Before joining Kar’s Nuts, Mr. Mehren spent 17 years at Mars Wrigley Confectionary, where he most recently served as the chief operating officer, U.S. and was responsible for operations and integration of the newly merged Mars and Wrigley business units. He previously served as general manager of Wrigley, general manager of Mars Ice Cream & Substantial Snacks and general manager of Mars Chocolate Canada, delivering significant growth in all three units. Earlier in Mr. Mehren’s career, he held several senior sales and marketing positions with Wrigley, PowerBar and other companies.

“I am excited to join the Kar’s Nuts team, and look forward to leading a category-leading business with strong tailwinds and exciting innovation capabilities,” said Mr. Mehren.  “Kar’s Nuts has an incredible brand and has been a snacking staple for over 85 years.  I appreciate the leadership Nick and the Kar’s Nuts team exhibited to get to this point, and am honored to be a part of the next phase of growth alongside Palladium.”