CHICAGO — Hometown Food Company, a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners, has announced the appointment of Tom Polke as its new President and CEO.
"We are delighted to announce the addition of Tom Polke to the Hometown Food team. Tom's extensive background managing complex businesses in the food category will immediately benefit the business," said Henk Hartong, Brynwood Partners' Chairman and CEO. Polke will be based out of the company's Chicago headquarters.
Polke comes to Hometown Food with over 16 years of senior leadership experience from Ferrara Candy Company, where he served as president since 2012 and most recently as the company's chief integration officer. Earlier in his career, he led the merger between Ferrara Pan and Farley's & Sathers to create Ferrara Candy Company with revenue, at the time of the transaction, of approximately $1 billion annually. Polke is a certified public accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Hometown Food Company, based in Chicago, was formed by Brynwood Partners in June 2018 to acquire a portfolio of brands from The J.M. Smucker Company. In 2019, Hometown Food acquired the Arrowhead Mills and Sunspire brands from The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. The company's portfolio includes the exclusive U.S. rights to the iconic Pillsbury shelf-stable baking products, including Funfetti, along with Hungry Jack, White Lily, Jim Dandy, Arrowhead Mills, Sunspire and Martha White brands.
Hometown Food manufactures the majority of its products from its facilities in Toledo, OH and Hereford, TX. The company employs nearly 300 full-time employees.