Muenster Milling Company (“Muenster”), a leading manufacturer of freeze-dried and extruded pet food, today announced the addition of industry veterans to its executive leadership team. Matt Donnell joins as Chief Financial Officer, Dave DeLorenzo joins as Vice President Sales, Marketing & Commercialization, and Andrew Chatterton joins as Director of Sales.

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Matt Donnell, CFO (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are thrilled to welcome Matt, Dave, and Andrew to the Muenster team as we strive to be the preferred supplier of freeze-dried meals, treats, and inclusions to pet brands and retailers,” said Jim Holdrieth, CEO of Muenster Milling. “Matt is an operationally oriented CFO who has significant experience in contract manufacturing businesses that focus on custom specialty ingredients. Dave has a unique sales and marketing skill set that will be valuable to our customers as they scale their brands and drive innovation. Andrew has global pet experience across all channels that will help our customers optimize their omni-channel strategy. At the end of the day, we are more than a manufacturer of pet food, but a strategic thought partner to our customers that provides product innovation and marketing insights to accelerate their growth and maximize their profits.”

Matt Donnell has more than 30 years of experience in a variety of financial leadership roles. He was most recently CFO of Parker Products, a manufacturer of custom specialty ingredients for well-known food and beverage companies. Before Parker Products, Matt was COO and CFO of United 1 International Laboratories, a contract manufacturer of dietary supplements, sports nutrition and personal care products that specializes in product development and formulation.

Dave DeLorenzo is a veteran commercial pet executive with over 30 years of experience at Mars, Manna Pro / Compana Pet Brands, and Vetscience (d.b.a. Fruitables). He has grown and scaled large, medium, and start-up pet brands in a variety of sales and marketing roles. Dave has provided strategic direction, sales planning, consumer promotion / customer marketing management, and led teams of marketing, finance, R&D, manufacturing, procurement, and logistics associates to launch new pet products and programs. He has developed and executed numerous go-to-market plans for pet brands across every channel of trade, including direct-to-consumer.

Andrew Chatterton has more than 25 years of management experience in the global pet care industry with brands across pet specialty, e-commerce, FDMC, and international channels. Most recently, he was EVP Pet & Farm for Compana Pet Brands where he managed key retail and distribution accounts. Before Compana, Andrew was SVP Global Sales for Hero Pet Brands, Director of Sales at Nestle Purina, and Director of Sales at Retail Products Group.

These senior hires follow the completion of Muenster’s new vertically integrated, freeze-drying facility located in Denton, Texas in March.

About Muenster Milling Company

Founded in 1932, Muenster Milling is a manufacturer of freeze-dried pet food, treats, and inclusions, as well as kibble. The Company provides contract manufacturing and private label solutions for leading brands and retailers. The Muenster brand is sold in the pet specialty channel and the e-commerce channel, while its customized kibble offering is sold exclusively on its website www.muensterpet.com.

Mark Semer / Gwyn Hodges Gasthalter & Co. (212) 257-4170