Saputo Inc., Montreal, said Lyne Castonguay will step into the role of deputy president and chief operating officer, Dairy Division, USA, effective Feb. 5, 2021. Castonguay will report to Carl Colizza, president and chief operating officer, North America and Dairy Division, USA.

In the upcoming year, Colizza will ensure a transition of the Dairy Division, USA’s leadership to Castonguay to focus on his strategic role as president and chief operating officer, North America, Saputo said. Castonguay previously held executive positions with a major Canadian food retailer, as well as senior roles at a large retailer in both Canada and in the United States.

The Häagen-Dazs ice cream brand — part of Froneri, which operates as Oakland, Calif.-based Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream in the United States — announced a $100,000 pledge to Allies in Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission is to support artists who are women, BIPOC and LGBTQQIA2S+ — all of whom are underrepresented individuals in the creative industries.

The announcement marks the brand's second donation as part of its $1.5 million commitment to uplift a generation of diverse tastemakers and creators over the next three years. The commitment kicked off earlier in the year by multi-hyphenate creator, Lena Waithe, and a $100,000 donation to Hillman Grad Productions and her Mentorship Lab, Häagen-Dazs said.

Dippin’ Dots, a Paducah, Ky.-based maker of flash-frozen beaded ice cream, recently announced a succession plan that includes several key executive promotions within the organization, as well as the upcoming retirement of two company leaders.

Stan Jones, who currently serves as chief development officer, will retire at the end of the year. Jones has been with Dippin’ Dots for 27 years and in that time has held a variety of roles within operations, development and international expansion of the brand.

Also retiring in the next year is Michael Barrette, chief marketing and sales officer, who has been with Dippin’ Dots for 14 years and has served as the leader for marketing, domestic sales and franchising.   

Effective immediately, Dippin’ Dots said, the following executive promotions are now in place within the organization:

• Steve Heisner, senior vice president. Heisner has been with Dippin’ Dots for 25 years and for the past 10 has served as the company’s vice president of administration and human resources.
• Doug Barwig, vice president of operations. Barwig has been with Dippin’ Dots for 17 years and most recently oversaw the West Coast and international operations.
• Adam Gross, vice president of sales and marketing. Gross has been with the company for 15 years and has most recently served as the senior director of sales.
• Steve Rothenstein, associate vice president of franchising. Rothenstein has been with Dippin’ Dots for nine years. Since joining the company, he has spearheaded all new franchise development agreements and thousands of new points of presence for franchisees.
• Kim Milite, senior director of core sales. Milite has spent the last 20 years in various sales roles within the company, including region manager, division manager and most recently director of sales for the East Division.

Kilkenny, Ireland-based Glanbia plc and Glanbia Co-operative Society Ltd., also headquartered in Kilkenny, announced the signing of a nonbinding memorandum of understanding for the sale of the Glanbia plc’s 40% interest in Glanbia Ireland DAC to Glanbia Co-operative. Glanbia Ireland is a joint venture owned 60% by Glanbia Co-operative and 40% by the PLC.

Following a growth investment earlier this year led by Warburg Pincus, General Atlantic and Georgian, SPINS, a Chicago-based data and technology provider serving the health and wellness industry, said it accelerated investment in innovation and added to its executive leadership team. The increased investment is delivering new capabilities for its product intelligence, retailer intelligence and brand innovation and market acceleration solutions. SPINS also added key leaders to its leadership team: Gotham Majumdar as chief product and technology officer and Dan Buckstaff as chief marketing officer.

ProAmpac, a Cincinnati-based specialist in flexible packaging and material science, said two independent advanced recycling firms confirmed that the ProActive Recycle Ready Retort RT-3000 pouches met the criteria for chemical recycling. By processing materials that cannot be mechanically recycled due to composition or product residue, advanced recycling produces a quality polymer that can be re-introduced into the supply chain.

“Advanced recycling will be a critical part of the world’s future recycling infrastructure as brands transition to packaging that supports the circular economy,” said Adam Grose, chief commercial officer. “ProAmpac has tested our RT-3000 offering in two separate advanced recycling processes to ensure that the mono-material structure is truly a circular solution.”

Purolite Corp., King of Prussia, Pa., said it is implementing a global price increase for its ion exchange, catalyst, adsorbent and specialty high-performance resins in the Core Technologies business: residential, municipal, commercial and industrial. Given recent severe cost increases, Purolite is assessing the impact and will be implementing a global price increase accordingly. The increase is effective Jan. 1, 2022 or as contracts allow.  

Innophos, a Cranbury, N.J.-based provider of specialty ingredient solutions for the food, health, nutrition and industrial markets, said it recently released a new whitepaper, “Cheese Substitutes: Formulating with Plant-Based Proteins.” Understanding what influences protein interactions and creating strategies for improving plant-based protein functionalities are critical to developing appealing substitutes, the company said. Innophos explores the underlying mechanisms that influence protein interactions and offers a database with available solutions to help formulators better understand what influences protein interactions and how to improve plant-based protein functionality to optimize the taste and texture of plant-based cheese. Read the whitepaper here.