New CEO tapped at Chicago Custom Foods in Elk Grove

Chicago Custom Foods, the maker of Kernel Season's popcorn seasonings and Tasty Shakes oatmeal add-ins, announced today that Jason Roy has been promoted to chief executive officer of the company, effective immediately.

Roy, previously COO of the company, has been with Chicago Custom Foods since 2003, leading the operating functions as the company grew from a small start up to the market leader in the popcorn seasoning category.

Over the years, Roy has been instrumental in executing the company's strategic plan and facilitating organic growth as the business increased more than twentyfold since he joined the company. Prior to coming to the company, he served as director of operations at Entertainment Marketing Inc., an experiential marketing agency promoting many different national brands.

"I am excited about my new role. For almost 20 years Chicago Custom Foods, through its Kernel Season's offerings, has been on a mission to save popcorn-lovers from the disappointment of consuming naked popcorn," Roy said. "We have been very successful, but still have more work to do on that front, and the company has tremendous opportunities to continue its growth trajectory. We are also going beyond popcorn seasonings with an exciting pipeline of new products that touch on other food categories. Recently, we launched a line of new oatmeal add-ins with outstanding flavors, including Maple Brown Sugar, Strawberries and Cream, Apple Cinnamon, Peaches and Cream, and Vanilla Bean, that are generating a lot of excitement from consumers. I am confident that Chicago Custom Foods has a bright future. We will continue relying on innovation and product development to drive growth, but the real driver of CCF's performance is our outstanding employees. I am very proud to be a part of this company."

Jeff Partridge, Chairman of CCF and Managing Director at Highlander Partners, the majority owner of the company, added, "Jason Roy has a tremendous knowledge of this business, and Highlander shares his vision for the Company's future. We made our investment in CCF in January of this year and we are very pleased with the strong performance of the business this year. We have opportunities to add new customers, increase consumer awareness and lead through innovation. Highlander is eager to support CCF's organic growth efforts as well as pursue strategic acquisition opportunities."