New VP of Finance To Lead Finance Strategy for Fast Growth
LOS ANGELES—Maxine’s Heavenly, a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in making homemade-style cookies that are Sweetened By NatureTM, has secured industry vet Mayuko Matsumoto as Vice President of Finance.
Maxine's Heavenly is the third fasting growing naturally positioned cookie brand and ranks #28 in the total cookie category, a segment with more than 1000 brands. With this traction and significant forward momentum ahead, the company is rapidly expanding their pool of talent, and Ms. Matsumoto marks a tremendous win in the beginning of those efforts.
With over 10 years experience in financial management in the food and beverage industry, Ms. Matsumoto will help Maxine’s Heavenly accelerate its next stage of growth by streamlining processes, improving efficiency in the supply chain, increasing revenue, and increasing profit margins.
Ms. Matsumoto’s previous combined experiences with both hypergrowth at Health-ade and steady strategic growth at Mars, Inc. give her a unique perspective on how to support brands of all sizes. At Health-ade, Ms. Matsumoto strengthened the cash position and used data to improve decision-making during a time of significant growth for the brand.
As part of the Global Chocolate Division’s revenue management team at Mars, she created the playbook on pricing strategy and shared those best practices across the division worldwide. In subsequent years, she managed finances for a plant that brought in $1 billion in retail revenue for M&Ms and Twix.
Ms. Matsumoto moved from Mars to Health-ade because of a desire to use her talents in the natural space. Her decision to join Maxine’s Heavenly was made not only because of its better-for-you promise, but also for its potential to disrupt the natural food category.
“Maxine’s is changing the game,” she said. “No one else has been able to replicate the taste of mom’s homemade cookies using only simple ingredients and natural sugars. While many natural brands are chasing trends, Maxine’s Heavenly is offering consumers what they really want: a product made with healthy ingredients that actually tastes good. I am excited to be part of a brand that is redefining taste standards for natural foods.”
“Mayu’s tremendous experience in the CPG industry and deep understanding of what it takes to accelerate growth will be integral in this next phase of our company,” said CEO Robert Petrarca. “It’s an absolute honor to have her on board and inspired by the vision for the Maxine’s Heavenly brand.”
The high-growth cookie brand is currently hiring for multiple additional positions. Interested candidates can find details at maxinesheavenly.com/pages/careers.
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ABOUT MAXINE’S HEAVENLY: Maxine’s Heavenly makes delicious, homemade-style cookies that are Sweetened By NatureTM. Inspired by mom’s beloved cookie recipe, Maxine’s Heavenly was born out of a desire to make a cookie you could feel good about eating every day. To learn more, visit maxinesheavenly.com.
