Catalina Snacks Inc., one of the fastest-growing companies in the Keto-Friendly cereal and snack food categories, has announced that industry veteran Joel Warady has joined the company as president. Warady will lead the growth and expansion of Catalina Snacks as its Low-Sugar / Keto-Friendly products continue to capture category leadership positions throughout the US at major retailers.
Warady is a proven leader with over 35 years of global CPG industry experience, including leadership positions in North America, the United Kingdom, and the EU. An industry-recognized brand-builder, he has built his career across a broad spectrum of roles in marketing, sales, operations, and strategy during his involvement in multiple successful start-ups in both Food and Personal Care. Most recently, Warady successfully led the Enjoy Life Foods business for Mondelez, Intl. after having grown the company as its sales and marketing leader and playing an instrumental role in successfully negotiating the 2015 acquisition of the business by the global snack food giant.
"I have had the good fortune of working closely with Catalina's visionary CEO and Founder, Krishna Kaliannan, since he first shared the business plan with me pre-launch," said Warady. "Having gained expertise in "special diet" and healthy-eating lifestyles during my 18-year involvement with Enjoy Life Foods, I'm always on the lookout for companies that have the products and positioning that can yield similar success. Catalina Snacks is well-positioned to be the market leader of the Keto-Friendly foods category."
"We are thrilled that Joel is joining Catalina," said Krishna Kaliannan, Catalina's founder and CEO. "Joel's experience and no-nonsense approach to leadership will be invaluable in helping us scale the company."
Catalina Snacks has developed a robust omnichannel business since its inception in August 2018. In addition to Catalina's industry-recognized Direct-to-Consumer business that continues to see exponential growth, the Catalina Crunch brand is now in over 5,000 retail doors throughout the US. After having first launched in the cereal category, Catalina recently introduced product lines in the cookie and smoothie-kit categories, with additional Keto-Friendly snack launches targeted for 2021.
"While we continue to see an opportunity for channel and category growth as we expand on our current strategy, the growth in our velocities and the acceptance of our additional SKUs is accelerating top-line revenues faster than anticipated," Warady added. "We will continue to add experienced talent to our growing Catalina team, allowing us to manage the growth we anticipate in 2021 and beyond."
In addition to his role at Catalina Snacks, Warady continues to serve on numerous advisory boards for emerging brands and technology companies in the CPG space. He also serves as chairman of the Chicagoland Food & Beverage Network and a mentor in the Good Food Accelerator program in Chicago.
