Paul Abbott
Millpress Imports
Bio
Paul Abbott is a dedicated food professional with more than 35 years of leadership experience in the industry. He began his career in the supermarket sector and built deep expertise in retail operations and category management, earning recognition for innovative strategies that drove growth and differentiation, including the SFA’s 2024 Leadership Award for Outstanding Buyer. He now works in specialty food consulting, advising on local food distribution systems and sales strategies for Millpress Imports. In addition to his consulting work, he serves on the board of Community Kitchen Pittsburgh and as a senior advisor to Food 21, two organizations that use food to strengthen the local economy and improve lives across the region. Paul believes that bringing people together over good food leads to positive outcomes. In this belief, Paul is proud of the work that the Specialty Food Association does to foster the growth of the industry.
Carolyn Hardy
Hardy Beverages LLC
Bio
Carolyn Chism Hardy is a nationally recognized entrepreneur, investor, and business leader known for building transformative companies across beverage manufacturing, logistics, real estate, and consumer wellness. As CEO of Hardy Beverage and Chism Hardy Investments, she has consistently identified emerging market opportunities and scaled businesses through innovation, operational excellence, and visionary leadership. Hardy made history in 2006 as the first African American woman to own a major brewery in the United States, leading Hardy Bottling into a nationally respected beverage manufacturing company serving brands such as Coca-Cola, AriZona, and Rockstar.
Following the sale of Hardy Bottling, she expanded into transportation, transloading, and strategic real estate development before launching Hardy Beverage and the HTWO family of wellness brands. A former executive with Coors Brewing, Honeywell, and The J.M. Smucker Company, Hardy is also a published author and highly respected civic leader. She currently is the former Chair of Reserve Bank of St. Louis 8th District Board, former Chair of the Greater Memphis Chamber and Chairman’s Circle, and a member of the Tennessee Blue Oval City Advisory Board. She also serves in leadership roles supporting Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital initiatives, and numerous economic development and entrepreneurship organizations. Carolyn is married to Marino Hardy, and they are the proud parents of 3 amazing professionals and 3 amazing grandchildren.
Scott Jensen
Kosmos Q
Bio
Scott Jensen is the CEO of Kosmos Q, the OK City based Bar-B-Q Brand. Formerly, he was Co-Founder & CEO of Rhythm Superfoods, the Austin-based manufacturer of organic, plant-based superfoods snacks. He is also the former CEO & President of One World Foods (Stubb’s Bar-B-Q), which he co-founded with C.B. Stubblefield and a few close friends and subsequently sold to McCormick & Co. in 2015. He also co-founded Stubb’s Austin Restaurant Company, the famous Bar-B-Q and Live Music Venue in Austin, Texas which he sold in 2021 to LiveNation. Scott is a member of and Past Chair of the Austin Chapter of YPO Gold, and board member & mentor at SKU, the Austin-based CPG accelerator program. He is a current board member of the Specialty Food Association and serves as Vice Chair on its Executive Committee. Scott received his bachelor’s in psychology and business communication from SMU and received his MBA from NYU.
Jessie Kimsey
Misfits Market
Bio
Jessie Kimsey is the Associate Director of Vendor Strategy and Category Innovation at Misfits Market, where she leads the discovery and launch of emerging food, beverage, and wellness brands across the national online grocery platform. Her work focuses on identifying products that reflect changing consumer culture and helping innovative brands reach shoppers through a discovery-driven approach to grocery retail.
Having grown up on a small farm in rural North Carolina where access to specialty food products was limited, Jessie remains committed to the belief that high-quality food should be both exciting and accessible, regardless of geography.
Prior to joining Misfits Market, Jessie developed her merchandising expertise at H-E-B. Today, she partners closely with founders, suppliers, and cross-functional teams to help innovative brands scale within the consumer-packaged goods industry. She is passionate about the future of specialty food and believes the Specialty Food Association can play an even larger role in fostering meaningful connections between brands, retailers, and consumers year-round.
Alejandro Piasecki
Seal the Seasons
Bio
Alejandro (Alex) Piasecki, the co-founder of frozen fruit, vegetable and novelty company Seal the Seasons, grew up in West Philadelphia in a multi-cultural household. He is the son of a Peruvian-Spanish immigrant and considers himself a proud “Yooper." A city boy by nature, Alex, never envisioned the life he has now, traveling from farm to farm, partnering with local family farmers and learning the strengths and shortcomings of our current agricultural system.
In his house, food was the language, religion and pastime. No matter what else was happening that day, it was familial requirement to sit down and eat dinner together. Back then and still to this day, convening and cooking together, whether it be Aji de Gallina or a Michigan Pasty, serves as the main way Alex connects with my family, friends and community.
Alex has a vision for a food system that creates a balance of people, food, and profit. As co-founder & COO of Seal the Seasons, he strives to use local supply chains to empower local communities to take better care of one another and to create futures for family farming.
Alex oversees overall business strategy and operations at Seal the Seasons. He also leads product development, marketing, farm + plant operations, and fundraising strategy. He started his career in investment banking with Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and in management consulting with Deloitte. Alex holds a degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with highest distinction and honors in Business Administration and Global Studies.
Dwight Richmond
Town & Country Markets
Bio
Dwight Richmond has over 30 years’ experience as visionary leader in the natural and specialty food industry with retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Earth Fare, and Town & Country Markets. He brings a unique balance of brand and category management experience across both non-perishable and perishable brands and categories. He always strives to work with brands to find the white spaces of opportunity to grow sales. He also comes with a strong background in wholesale distribution, sourcing, and development of new products and brands to provide makers and entrepreneurs an outlet to drive innovation and a point of differentiation while staying ahead of trends in natural and specialty foods. Dwight’s passion is to see the small producer thrive and realize their dreams also while developing long term partnerships with established brands to further drive innovation in our food culture. Dwight lives in the Seattle, WA area and enjoys tea and cooking authentic classic Asian cuisine.
Bill Zappas
European Imports
Bio
Bill” Zappas is President of European Imports at Sysco, where he leads one of North America’s premier specialty food and artisan import platforms. With more than 15 years in foodservice leadership, Bill has built his career at the intersection of culinary excellence, handcrafted products, and growth-driven commercial strategy.
Bill’s passion for food began in the kitchen, launching his career at Merriman’s in Hawaii under Chef Peter Merriman, one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement. That formative experience shaped a lifelong commitment to artisan, responsibly sourced foods and to the producers behind them.
During his tenure at Sysco, Bill has held several senior leadership roles across sales, revenue management, and commercial enablement. He is widely recognized for creating and scaling locally sourced and artisan-focused programs that connect chefs and customers with high-quality regional producers, strengthening local food ecosystems while driving profitable growth. Today, he oversees European Imports’ strategic direction, portfolio expansion, and customer experience, with a focus on elevating authentic, handcrafted specialty products.
Bill is deeply committed to the future of specialty food, collaboration across the supply chain, and supporting the next generation of makers and culinary leaders. His appointment to the Specialty Food Association Board of Directors reflects his longstanding dedication to advancing innovation, craftsmanship, and trust within the specialty food community.
Bill currently lives in Illinois with his wife, Noel, celebrating 20 years of marriage, and their two children, Athena (16) and Brody (14). Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, traveling, exercising, and continuing his lifelong exploration of great food and the people who create it.
SFA Board of Directors 2026-2027
Pierre Abushacra
Firehook
Bio
Pierre Abushacra founded Firehook in 1992 and led it until 2024, making it the top artisanal cracker brand in the U.S. Pierre sold Firehook to Forward Consumer Partners in 2024, retaining an ownership stake and joining the Board of Directors. In addition to managing private investments in commercial real estate and independent businesses, Pierre serves on the board of directors of Freedom Bank of Virginia and continues to be passionate about supporting the SFA’s mission.
Heather Brand
GoodPop
Bio
Heather Brand is a retail and CPG leader with deep expertise in category strategy, merchandising, and scaling innovative products across omnichannel retail. She currently serves as Director of Strategic Growth at GoodPop, where she leads key growth initiatives across eCommerce, strategic accounts, and category insights.
Previously, Heather served as Associate Director of Perishables at Thrive Market, where she oversaw Frozen Foods, Meat & Seafood, and Fresh. She launched Thrive Market’s Frozen Foods category from the ground up in 2021, building the assortment and growth strategy for one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.
Before Thrive Market, Heather served as Grocery Buyer for Whole Foods Market’s Florida Region, sourcing and managing local and regional products while mentoring emerging brands navigating growth within the Whole Foods ecosystem.
Earlier in her career, Heather held category management roles in the natural products industry at Vitacost and Kroger’s Live Naturally platform, where she contributed to early eCommerce and omnichannel initiatives, including the ship-to-home and ClickList programs. She began her career in fashion merchandising, working in wholesale for BCBGMaxazria before joining the Macys.com Executive Development Program as a Buyer for Impulse Women’s Ready-to-Wear.
A Florida native, Heather holds a B.S. in Retail Merchandising & Product Development from Florida State University. She lives in South Florida with her husband, daughter, rescue dog, and cat, and is passionate about food innovation, wellness, travel, and the outdoors.
Lucia Conejo-Mir
Ines Rosales USA, LLC
Bio
Lucia Conejo-Mir is a Spaniard with a passion for food and music, who serves as VP of Sales and Business Development North America for Ines Rosales.
Born and raised in Seville (Spain), she grew up surrounded by the most amazing ingredients and food. A translator by training, she speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Italian, and has studied for years German and French. As a result of this exposure, she fell in love with discovering new cultures, new foods, which drove her to live in countries like Austria or Germany, and that in turn steered her to the international trade sector. As an international trade expert, she debuted professionally in the international trade sector at the Berlin delegation of the now defunct international trade agency of the Mexican government, ProMexico. There she was able to get a 360º vision of the International Trade relations between both countries, across all industries and services. Her passion for Spain and food took her back to her hometown in Spain, where she worked for over two years in the international trade department of one of the top Specialty food manufacturers in Spain, Ines Rosales. In 2018, she relocated to the US to take on the role of VP of Sales and Business Development North America at Ines Rosales. Since then, she’s helped the brand consolidate its presence in the region.
She is active in the industry, in the US and beyond, serving as president of the Food Link Spain manufacturer work group created by FIAB (Spanish Food and Drink Federation), or acting as a mentor for the SFA’s Mentorship program. Ines Rosales is very active in the international markets, currently exporting to over 30 countries and participating in Trade Shows across the globe.
Now, with 10+ years of experience in International Trade and many Fancy Food Shows in her bag, she’s ready to give back to the Association that has helped her and Ines Rosales gather many connections over the years and gain a wider understanding of the Specialty Food industry. It is fair to say she has fallen in love both with the Specialty community in the US and the people in the industry.
Victoria Ho
Sherpa CPG
Bio
Victoria is an impact storyteller and innovation strategist who translates big ideas into trusted consumer brands. Since 2012, she has guided over 250 natural and specialty products to market as the founder of Sherpa CPG.
A former factory owner and two-time food entrepreneur, Victoria launched Sherpa CPG to help visionary food and beverage leaders navigate the path to scale.
Victoria’s holistic approach to design and development reflects 15 years of experience as a creative brand architect, award-winning formulator, and commercial operations expert. She has led projects for global multinationals like Nestle Foods as well as for today’s most innovative emerging brands. She is passionate about food as medicine, regenerative agriculture and amplifying heritage narratives in entrepreneurship.
Victoria serves on the Specialty Food Association's Board of Directors, the Giles O’Malley Center for Leadership’s Board of Advisors, and as Entrepreneur in Residence for The Watson Institute. She is honored to lead :INCLUDED, a non-profit creating access to growth opportunities and capital for founders of color. An alumna of UC Berkeley, Victoria thrives in sunny Long Beach, CA.
Loralie Holly
Nuevo Garcia Foods
Bio
Loralie Holly is Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Garcia Foods, where she leads sales and marketing strategy across the company’s growing portfolio of brands and products. A driving force behind the Texas Tamale brand for more than a decade, she has played a key role in its growth and evolution, helping expand the business into new categories, channels, and retail opportunities nationwide. She began her career as an in-store product demonstrator and rose through the ranks, bringing firsthand experience, strategic insight, and a deep passion for the grocery industry to her leadership role.
In addition to her role at Nuevo Garcia Foods, Loralie serves on the Board of Directors for the Specialty Food Association (SFA) and is an active member of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA).
Outside of her professional work, Loralie is deeply committed to community impact. Coming from a family of educators, she launched Literacy in the Bag in 2016 - Texas Tamale’s outreach initiative - which has donated more than 25,000 books to Title I elementary and middle schools across the Houston area.
Loralie lives in Houston with her husband and their beloved rescue dogs and enjoys spending weekends exploring local food spots and supporting community causes.
Harrison Kahn
Vermont Creamery
Bio
Harrison (Harry) Kahn is the President & General Manager of Vermont Creamery, a leader in the US artisanal dairy market that supplies products like creme fraiche, chevre, and cultured butter to the finest kitchens and retailers nationwide. In this role, Harry supports a team of 100 hardworking Vermonters striving to elevate American food culture.
Prior to Vermont Creamery, Harry was the VP of Marketing at Barr Hill, a distillery dedicated to reconnecting cocktail culture to agriculture, and the maker of the top-selling US super premium gin brand. Harry has also held leadership roles at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Magic Hat Brewing Company, and National Geographic Student Expeditions, where he established youth travel programs around the world.
Harry is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he studied Chinese, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he earned an MBA. Harry is the proud spouse of Elisabeth Kahn, the 2020 Vermont Teacher of the Year, and the lucky father of two wicked fun children, Iris (12) and Asher (9).
Harry’s interests include skiing, cycling, talking shop, driveway basketball, family movie night, and cooking and eating with his wife.
Sarah Masoni
Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center
Bio
Sarah Masoni is the Director of Product and Process Development at Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center (FIC), where she has resided for 26 years. Located in Portland, OR, the FIC is one of 13 experiment stations across the state affiliated with the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU. Sarah has dedicated her career to food entrepreneurship and development. She works as a liaison between the university and the food manufacturing industry, transferring valuable information to startups that require guidance to get their new concept going. Over the course of her career, she has helped literally thousands of entrepreneurs realize their vision by helping them develop foods that are market-ready, including household names such as Salt & Straw, Bob’s Red Mill, and Keto Pint.
James Ren
GoodSAM
Bio
James Ren is a seasoned CPG and retail strategy leader with over 15 years of experience spanning merchandising, brand strategy, and go-to-market execution. He currently serves as VP of Revenue & Growth at GoodSAM Foods, the mission-driven brand dedicated to regenerative agriculture and farmer empowerment — where he leads efforts to scale revenue, broaden distribution, and build profitability while deepening the company's ties to smallholder and indigenous farming communities. Prior to GoodSAM, James led Food Merchandising at Thrive Market, building a world-class team and scaling high-velocity assortments across categories. His career also includes leadership roles at Walmart and global CPG experience at Mars and Reckitt.
Beyond his operating roles, James advises and invests in emerging food and beverage brands through his collective, Renovate Studios, and serves on the Board of the Specialty Food Association. He is also the host of Between Worlds, a podcast exploring multiculturalism and what it means to navigate the world with full authenticity — themes that run through his
professional life just as much as his personal one.
James is known in the industry for his sharp retail instincts, his deep network, and his genuine love for food — the cooking, the eating, the discovering, and the storytelling. He often says that nobody gets into this business for the margins. What keeps people here is the food itself, and the people who make it. That belief shapes the way James works: with curiosity, care, and a deep commitment to building businesses that are equitable, transparent, and built to last.
Rodd Wills
BeyondBrands
Bio
Rodd has been in the food industry for over 30 years. He started his career at Hormel Foods, spending four years there in various sales roles. In 1997, Rodd joined Dot Foods. He has served in multiple positions at Dot, and most notably helped build their convenience store business in the early 2000’s, started their meat/seafood business in 2008, and most recently started the Natural/Specialty division in 2015. Rodd was the Director of Natural/Specialty at Dot until the end of 2024 and oversaw all aspects of this area of Dot’s business. In early 2025, he was named President of BeyondBrands- Channel Expansion, a consulting firm focused on helping early stage brands. He also joined Sunridge Partners, a private equity firm based in London, where he is a Senior Advisor assisting US-based CPG companies looking to be acquired. He has been the Chair of the SFA Buyer's Council since 2021. Rodd holds an MBA from the University of Missouri and currently resides in the St. Louis area. He is married and has three adult children.