Longtime Industry Executives to Support Titan’s Sustainable Growth and M&A Initiatives
SANTA MARIA, Calif., Oct. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Titan Frozen Fruit (“Titan” or “the Company”), a market-leading, value-added food ingredient manufacturer and fruit processor, announced today two new additions to strengthen the Company’s senior leadership team. Alan Cutler has been named Chief Financial Officer and Tom Byrne has been named Executive Vice President of Commercial Development. Titan is a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners and Windhover Capital.
“Given Alan’s and Tom’s successful track records, we are confident they will play a key role in Titan’s transformation,” said Jon Larsen, CEO of Titan. “Alan’s leadership in developing financial strategies to drive sustainable growth, as well as his focus on enhancing Titan’s finance function and processes, will be critical as we build out the organization. Additionally, Tom’s strong sales and business development background and his M&A experience will be an asset for Titan as we look for new opportunities to grow the business both organically and through strategic acquisitions. I welcome them both to the Company.”
Mr. Cutler has spent over 25 years building and leading teams in the food, agriculture and manufacturing industries, most recently as CFO of Randall Foods. Some of his previous C-level roles include serving as CFO at Vita-Pakt Citrus Products Co., CEO and COO at True Fresh High Pressure Processing/True Food Innovations, and CFO/President/GM at Goglanian Bakeries Inc. (now Rich Products Corporation, Inc.). Mr. Cutler earned both his bachelor of science and masters of business administration degrees from Troy University.
“I’m eager to work with the Titan team to leverage what I’ve learned over my long career in food processing to help position the Company for its next stage of growth,” said Mr. Cutler. “I look forward to working closely with Jon, Tom and the rest of the Titan management team as we look to take advantage of opportunities in the market.”
With more than 25 years of experience leading transformational changes in complex business environments, Mr. Byrne was most recently Senior Vice President – Division Manager at Golden West Packaging Group, where he led the integration of three agricultural-centric packaging businesses. Previously, he served as President of Growers Express, and was also Vice President – General Manager at Sambrailo Packaging, and Director of Food Sales at Peninsula Packaging. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Notre Dame.
In this newly created Executive Vice President of Commercial Development position, Mr. Byrne will lead business and product development and operational efficiencies across Titan, and will also serve as a critical member of the Company’s Corporate Development/M&A team.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Titan at an exciting stage of its development,” said Mr. Byrne. “With its strong industry reputation and the resources and support from Vestar Capital and Windhover Capital, Titan is well positioned to become a true leader in a fragmented market. I am eager to drive new innovations and help grow the Company.”
About Titan Frozen Fruit
Based in Santa Maria, CA and founded in 2013, Titan is a market leading, value-added food ingredient manufacturer and fruit processor. The Company buys berries from a network of large commercial growers in California and Baja California and processes the berries into a variety of pack styles (aseptic and pasteurized purées, purée concentrate, thermal particulate, individual quick frozen and block quick frozen). Titan sells the processed berries to a diversified roster of food and beverage manufacturers, foodservice/QSRs and retail/club stores. For more information on Titan, please visit www.titanfrozen.com.
About Vestar Capital Partners
Vestar Capital Partners is a leading U.S. middle-market private equity firm specializing in management buyouts and growth capital investments. Vestar invests and collaborates with incumbent management teams and private owners to build long-term enterprise value, with a focus on Consumer, Business & Technology Services and Healthcare. Since inception in 1988, Vestar funds have invested over $11 billion in 92 companies – as well as more than 200 add-on acquisitions – with a total value of approximately $52 billion. For more information on Vestar, please visit www.vestarcapital.com.
About Windhover Capital
Windhover Capital is a food, beverage, pet and consumer focused private equity firm based in Seattle, Milwaukee and New York. Windhover’s strategy is to partner with management teams and owners to build strategic value, improve profitability and accelerate growth. For more information on Windhover, please visit www.windhovercap.com.
