MPearlRock, a strategic partnership between MidOcean Partners, The Kroger Company, and its wholly owned data subsidiary, 84.51°, today announced the addition of Mark Ramadan, Bill Toler, and Bob Ostryniec as Operating Advisors. These appointments significantly deepen MPearlRock’s operating bench and reinforce its commitment to hands‑on, thoughtful value creation across its portfolio of high-growth consumer brands that are disrupting the food and beverage industry. They also bring together complementary experience spanning emerging brand building, global brand leadership, customer development and world‑class manufacturing and supply chain operations capabilities that are essential to driving outsized outcomes in today’s complex consumer landscape.
“Successful consumer investing is about more than capital - it’s about judgment, experience, and pattern recognition,” said Brian Kelley, CEO of MPearlRock. “Our team and Operating Advisors have had multi-decade careers with experiences that add true value to fast-growing emerging brands today. Our portfolio companies will benefit greatly from the expertise of Mark, Bill and Bob in scaling organizations; growing across channels and market environments; building brands responsibly; navigating complex supply chains and much more. We are very pleased to have them join the MPearlRock platform.”
Mark Ramadan brings the perspective of a founder‑operator who has built consumer brands from the ground up. As co‑founder and former CEO of Sir Kensington’s, Ramadan helped create one of the most distinctive better‑for‑you condiment brands of its generation, culminating in its acquisition by Unilever. He later served as CEO of Hu, guiding the better‑for‑you chocolate brand through rapid growth and its acquisition by Mondelēz. Ramadan’s experience scaling emerging brands—while preserving culture, mission, and brand authenticity—makes him a critical partner for early‑stage and growth‑stage portfolio companies.
Bill Toler adds exceptional breadth and perspective from building and leading some of the largest and most complex food platforms in the industry. His career includes leadership roles at Hostess Brands (CEO), AdvancePierre Foods (CEO), and Pinnacle Foods (President), where he has driven transformation across brand portfolios, manufacturing footprints, and go‑to‑market strategies. Toler’s experience repositioning iconic brands, managing complexity at scale, and executing through periods of industry change brings a powerful strategic lens to MPearlRock’s investments.
Bob Ostryniec contributes deep operational and supply chain expertise at a time when execution, resilience, and control have never mattered more. Over a multi‑decade career, Ostryniec served in senior leadership roles at H.J. Heinz, including Global Chief Supply Chain Officer and Chief Risk Officer, and later as Chief Product Supply Officer at Keurig Green Mountain. His background spans global manufacturing, procurement, logistics, and enterprise risk management, offering MPearlRock’s portfolio companies’ hands‑on guidance in building efficient, flexible, and durable supply chains.
In addition to these new Operating Advisors, MPearlRock CEO, Brian Kelley, brings more than three decades of leadership experience across the consumer ecosystem, including serving as the CEO of Keurig Green Mountain, President of Coca-Cola’s North America Operation and senior roles at Procter & Gamble, GE and Ford Motor Company. His background spans brand building, general management, strategy, sales, supply chain and large‑scale operational execution, informing MPearlRock’s operator-led investment approach and its emphasis on execution‑focused value creation.
MPearlRock’s approach combines investment expertise with rich data analytics and operating expertise to develop bespoke, high‑conviction value creation strategies for each portfolio company. The addition of Ramadan, Toler, and Ostryniec, along with access to the deep bench of Operating Partners at MidOcean Partners, reflects MPearlRock’s belief that balanced, diverse operating experience leads to value creation and drives best-in-class results.
About MPearlRock
MPearlRock is a strategic partnership between MidOcean Partners, a New York-based alternative asset manager, The Kroger Company, and its wholly owned data subsidiary, 84.51°. MPearlRock identifies and invests in high-growth, emerging consumer packaged goods brands that are positively disrupting the food and beverage industry. The investment platform targets fast growing branded consumer businesses $30 to $100 million in annual revenue. For more information, visit www.mpearlrock.com.
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