Café Valley Appoints Brian Owens as Chief Executive Officer

PHOENIX, June 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Café Valley, a global manufacturer of ready-to-eat bakery products sold in grocery, mass merchandise, club stores and food service categories, today announces the appointment of Brian Owens as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Owens succeeds Larry Polhill, Café Valley's current CEO and President, who assisted in taking the company from a regional bakery to a leading national brand and global supplier during the past 12 years.  

Brian Owens brings more than 20 years of leadership, sales and growth experience in the bakery industry. He most recently served as CEO of Minneapolis-based Le Petit Pain where he managed three major acquisitions and integrations while tripling sales over a three-year period. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Los Angeles-based Aryzta AG, where he established a successful continuous improvement program across 23 North American bakeries. He also served as the Co-President of the Il Fornaio Bakery division and managed a successful sale of the business to Aryzta.

Owens is an MBA graduate of Stanford University and holds a BA as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia.    

"We are pleased to appoint Brian as CEO of Café Valley," said Polhill. "In his brief time here he has brought a renewed focus to our brand premise and he's installed a number of operational changes that focus on excellence every day, every shift and in every product we produce. We're in the midst of a record period of growth and success at Café Valley, and Brian is the perfect candidate to continue this positive momentum forward."

Owens will handle all major corporate decisions and manage daily operations and resources, while serving as the primary liaison to the Board of Directors.

Polhill will remain serving as President and in his role as counsel to the Board of Directors as Chairman Emeritus.

About Café Valley
Founded in 1987, Café Valley produces high-quality bakery products for in-store bakeries, club stores, food service and convenience stores throughout the world. Their products include croissants, muffins, Bundt cakes, ring cakes, loaf cakes, Danishes, turnovers and café bites. With facilities in Phoenix, Arizona and Marion, Indiana, Café Valley products are available to mass retailers throughout the U.S. They are committed to an extensive food safety program and have donated much time,  money and gifts to communities across the U.S. Visit www.cafevalley.com to learn more.

SOURCE Café Valley Bakery