ISN – International Supermarket News
Companies: Rite Stuff Foods, Frostkrone Food Group, Rietberg
Version: August 2022
Person Cited: James D’Agosta, new CEO of Rite Stuff Foods, Inc.
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ISN magazine: On behalf of International Supermarket News, we would like to congratulate you on your new position and wish you all the best.
Q 1 – Can you tell us something about your background?
I have spent the past 30 years in consumer products, working for public companies, private equity owned companies, and for the past ten years, a privately held food company. I have built and led teams across functions in several companies, and led the integration of acquisitions as well. I have always been open to taking on new and unique opportunities, as building teams and driving growth are two things I’m passionate about.
Q 2- What is the relationship between Rite Stuff Foods and the Frostkrone Food Group?
Since 2019, Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. has been part of the Frostkrone Food Group which has a total of eight locations – two in France, two in the UK, three in Germany and one in the USA. Its headquarters is in Rietberg, Germany. The Frostkrone Food Group specializes in the development, production, and sales of finger foods and snacks.
I am very pleased that Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. is part of the Frostkrone Food Group. We cooperate closely with international teams and are constantly exchanging ideas with each other. Thus, we have a global view of the marketplace and can leverage our collective knowledge to drive innovation in a targeted manner, fulfilling our customers’ needs.
Our teams in Europe and in the US are constantly sharing ideas, insights, and experiences. The support and collaboration help us innovate quickly and commercialize new products globally.
Q 3- What changes do you intend to implement during your first year in the Rite Stuff group and what are your goals for the company?
The growth potential of Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. is enormous. My goal is to lead the company in such a way that it harnesses the collective strengths of our team to realize its full potential. We will become the market leader in the finger food and appetizer segments in North America. I look forward to taking the next steps with a strong team at my side whereby we will continue to place our focus on quality, innovation, teamwork and strengthening our customer partnerships.
Q 5- What do you think are the biggest challenges the finger food industry will face in the next 5 years?
The biggest challenge centers around driving innovation and staying in touch with evolving consumer trends. The market continues to evolve and consumers continue to look for high quality, convenient, easy to prepare food that are value priced. We are working hard to remain in a great position to offer our customers unique on-trend food products that will continue to drive category growth. The global marketplace remains quite competitive, and the macro impacts of world events, supply chain challenges, inflation, and climate change will continue to force us to remain agile and constantly be open to new and different ways of doing things.
Rite Stuff Foods is part of the Frostkrone Food Group
In 2019, Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. joined the ranks of the Frostkrone Food Group. Last year, Rite Stuff Foods implemented a new finger food production line where they now produce, Mozzarella Sticks, and will soon produce Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños, along with a growing selection of other appetizers and plant-based tasty delights. The resulting variety of flavourful appetizers added to their repertoire has been well received by customers from the retail and the food service sectors. In addition to their recent innovations, Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. is well known for its popular and versatile potato snacks, which are made exclusively from original Idaho® potatoes. These products have enjoyed huge popularity in the USA for years.
ABOUT THE FROSTKRONE FOOD GROUP
The Frostkrone Food Group – with its headquarters located in the town of Rietberg, in the federal German state of North Rhine-Westphalia – stands out in sharp relief because of its incredibly wide variety of finger foods and snacks. The Group markets its products in the food retail trade and in the food service industry. The multi-faceted range of products is available worldwide in countries including Scandinavia, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Switzerland, eastern Europe, Asia and in North America.
The Frostkrone Food Group boasts several cutting-edge production facilities in Germany, France, Great Britain, and in the USA. Since its founding in 1997, the company has established itself as an innovative trendsetter in the deep-frozen, convenience food segment.
In addition to the Frostkrone Tiefkühlkost GmbH and the Bornholter Käsevertriebs- und Produktionsgesellschaft GmbH, since 2018 Piz’wich Europe SAS and Varenne Gastronomie SAS have also been part of the Frostkrone Food Group. In 2019, the US business Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. grew exponentially when they joined the Group. Frostkrone has also recently acquired Innovate Foods, Ltd, in February 2020, and Abergavenny Fine Food Ltd, in April 2021, both based in Great Britain.
