Oregon Freeze Dry Announces Appointment of New Leader and Organizational Refocus into Food and Life Sciences Verticals

Experienced industry executive Craig Mickey will provide leadership of the Company’s newly formed Food vertical.

ALBANY, Ore. – Oregon Freeze Dry (“OFD” or the “Company”), one of North America’s largest and most technologically advanced freeze-dryer of food, probiotics, enzymes, proteins, specialty ingredients, and lyophilized pharmaceutical inputs, announced today its newly restructured business verticals of Food and Life Sciences. With the reorganization, consumer packaged goods industry veteran Craig Mickey has joined the Company as Chief Commercial Officer to lead the Food vertical.  OFD Senior Vice President Jeni Billups will become the Chief Commercial Officer of the Life Sciences vertical.

Founded in 1963, OFD is headquartered in Albany, Oregon, and has the production scale and capabilities to manufacture innovative and value-added freeze-dried products for a diversified and high-growth mix of end-markets.  OFD is owned by Arbor Investments, a specialized private equity firm that focuses exclusively on acquiring premier companies in food, beverage, and related industries.

Appointment of Craig Mickey

The Food vertical will be led by Chief Commercial Officer, Craig Mickey. Mickey comes to OFD from Arbor Investments sister company, Red Collar Pet Foods, where he was the President of the pet treats organization. Previously, Mickey worked at Mars Incorporated, and Walmart. He will report to OFD Chief Executive Officer Jim Cohen and will focus on enhancing the Company’s customer centric go-to-market focus and driving continued growth.

“As with all our investments, having the right team on the field is critical to driving outsized results,” said Chris Tuffin, Arbor Investments Partner. “We are fortunate at Arbor to work with a wide range of talented executives and are always focused on finding new opportunities in the Arbor family for fantastic individuals like Craig.  He will be a real difference-maker like he was at Red Collar, and we are thrilled he is joining the OFD team to lead the Food vertical.”

Organizational Refocus

To continue to best align resources with customer needs to support the growth of the business, OFD has reorganized into two business verticals, Food and Life Sciences.

“From our beloved Mountain House® brand and almost 60-year legacy of proudly serving the U.S. military with freeze-dried meals…to our lyophilization services for the supplements, biotech and pharmaceutical industries, we have a long history of innovation and expertise in freeze-drying technology at OFD,” said CEO Jim Cohen.  “With the newly formed Food and Life Sciences verticals with dedicated leadership and teams, we can better drive focus on the unique needs of each area. We believe this targeted approach will unlock untapped potential for growth, allowing us to better serve our customers and capture new market opportunities.”

Food Vertical
OFD has a storied history that includes supplying the Department of Defense and NASA with meals for troops and astronauts – including products taken on every Apollo mission to the moon. A pioneer in freeze-drying food applications, OFD offers meals with superior flavor, long shelf-life, and easy preparation. From serving the military to catering to on-the-go consumers and emergency preparedness through retail brand Mountain House®, the Company excels in producing nutrient-preserving, clean-label, preservative-free products. Mountain House® is the #1 freeze-dried brand in adventure and outdoor meals, available through mass, club, eCommerce, and specialty retail channels.

Life Sciences Vertical 
The Life Sciences vertical focuses on OFD’s biotech, pharmaceutical and supplement ingredient businesses. The Company serves the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with custom lyophilization (freeze-drying) solutions in the areas of bulk API lyophilization, cycle development and testing. This includes working with probiotics, enzymes, proteins, specialty flavors and extracts, specialty chemicals, and metabolites from strain fermentation. OFD is an industry leader in functional property retention, maximizing flavonoids, antioxidants, biologicals, and metabolites.

ABOUT OREGON FREEZE DRY

Founded in 1963, OFD is one of the largest and most technologically advanced freeze-dryer in North America. OFD has long been a leader in both global reach and the variety of uses to which it applies freeze drying technology. Across its bicoastal network of manufacturing facilities, OFD has the capabilities to produce a diverse mix of products ranging from individual ingredients (including food, supplements, and pharmaceuticals) to fully prepared meals under its Mountain House® brand.  www.ofd.com

ABOUT ARBOR INVESTMENTS

Founded in 1999, Arbor Investments is a specialized private equity firm focused exclusively on acquiring premier companies in food, beverage, and related industries. To date, the firm has acquired or invested in over 85 companies in North America. Arbor is headquartered in Palm Beach, FL, with additional offices in Chicago and New York.   www.arborpic.com