Irvington, NY – August 14, 2019 – BrightFarms, the No. 1 brand of locally grown packaged salads, has announced that it has hired Steve Platt as CEO, while the company’s founder, Paul Lightfoot, will continue as the company’s President and Founder. Both Platt and Lightfoot will be members of the Board of Directors.
“I am privileged to be the next CEO of BrightFarms. This is an exciting time for the company and I look forward to working with Paul and the entire team to scale the company and deliver our salad greens to more retailers and consumers across the country,” shared Platt. “BrightFarms is how Americans will consume produce – fresh, local and pesticide free.”
Platt is a veteran CPG executive with experience growing brands and leading top category performers. Most recently he was CEO of Icelandic Provisions. During his tenure, the company grew to more than 6,500 retail stores and became the fastest-growing brand in dairy yogurt. Previously, Steve was an Executive at Danone, where he led brands such as Dannon, Oikos, Danimals and YoCrunch.
“As Founder, I’ve taken BrightFarms from an idea to the leader in next-generation indoor produce,” said Lightfoot. “Steve is a world-class CPG executive with an authentic passion for our mission and our products, and possesses the talent, experience and know-how to take the company to the next level.”
“The BrightFarms Board of Directors is delighted to welcome Steve. He is an exceptional business leader and a proven CEO. He has a track record of building dynamic and values-driven teams that deliver results,” said Brian Rich, Managing Partner at Catalyst Investors and BrightFarms Board Member. “With consumer trends pointing towards superior quality, differentiated, locally grown produce, Steve is well positioned to lead BrightFarms through its next period of rapid growth.”
For more information about BrightFarms, visit https://www.brightfarms.com.
About BrightFarms
BrightFarms is the No. 1 brand of locally grown packaged salads, serving the freshest, tastiest and most responsibly grown produce to consumers nationwide. BrightFarms operates hydroponic greenhouse farms in the communities it serves, enabling it to eliminate time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain. BrightFarms’ growing methods, a model for the future of scalable, sustainable local farming, use far less energy, land and water than long distance, field-grown agriculture. Forbes has recognized BrightFarms as one of the “100 Most Consumer Centric Companies” and Fast Company has recognized BrightFarms as “One of World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies” and one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food”. BrightFarms is funded by leading investors Cox Enterprises, Catalyst Investors, WP Global Partners and NGEN Partners. For more information, please visit www.brightfarms.com.