San Diego, Calif., March 17, 2023 —The Honest Kitchen, the rapidly growing and leading human grade pet food company, announced today that it has hired two new senior executives to help the company increase its strong growth trajectory by improving operational and financial efficiencies.

 

Steve Calderone, a seasoned executive from leading human food brands including Perfect Snacks and Food Should Taste Good, has joined the company as Chief Operations Officer. Calderone will oversee all areas of the company’s operations including manufacturing, demand planning, and supply chain management.

 

"I'm thrilled to be a part of The Honest Kitchen and am eager to work with the team and our partners to bring innovation and increased efficiency to our operations," said Calderone. "I’m excited to help the company continue to grow and succeed in the coming years."

 

In 2022, the company took significant steps to meet the increasing demand of their customers. This included opening a new Whole Food Clusters facility in Kansas, which resulted in a fourfold increase in output. The company also expanded its dehydrated production line, which doubled output. Under Calderone’s leadership, the company plans to continue optimizing its fulfillment network and sourcing to support further growth.

Mike Albano, who has been a senior finance executive in the premium pet category for the last 13 years providing strategic direction and process-oriented leadership, has joined The Honest Kitchen as Chief Financial Officer. Albano will oversee all financial, business intelligence, and human resources activities.

 

"The Honest Kitchen has a rich history of helping pets by providing quality human grade food, and I'm excited to be a part of the team that will continue to build on that legacy," said Albano. "I'm looking forward to working with the team to optimize our financial processes, drive growth, and continue the mission of helping pets."

 

"I’m excited to have Steve and Mike join our outstanding, passionate team at The Honest Kitchen," said Bob Rubin, The Honest Kitchen’s Executive Chairman and Interim CEO. "We’re an organization focused on constant improvement, and Steve and Mike will be critical to our ongoing effort to best serve our customers and pet parents."

 

"These changes represent an opportunity for The Honest Kitchen to optimize our operations and enter 2023 with renewed vigor," said Lucy Postins, The Honest Kitchen's Founder and Chief Integrity Officer. "We're excited to welcome Steve and Mike to our team and look forward to working together to help more pets live healthier lives."

 

The Honest Kitchen was founded by Lucy Postins in 2002 in San Diego, CA, with a mission to help as many pets as possible get on the road to good health through good food. They produce a full line of human grade complete and balanced foods for pets including dry, dehydrated, and wet foods as well as treats, toppers, hydration boosters, and a best-selling digestive supplement. The Honest Kitchen was the first-ever human grade pet food, meaning the finished product meets human food production standards (unlike conventional pet food, which is feed grade). Each Honest Kitchen product is made with uncompromising quality and safety standards by a company of pet lovers. For more information, please visit www.thehonestkitchen.com.