Ralph DiVito, a respected, long-time veteran of the baking industry, has been named general manager of Ecce Panis, which Campbell Soup acquired this week.

Ralph DiVito, a respected, long-time veteran of the baking industry, has been named general manager of Ecce Panis, which Campbell Soup acquired this week.

During the past three decades at Campbell and Pepperidge Farm, DiVito has held a variety of roles in sales, operations and general management. In his new role, he will lead Ecce Panis through the integration with Pepperidge Farm and will be responsible for establishing plans for future growth.

When Camden, N.J.-based Campbell Soup Co. announced the agreement to buy Ecce Panis on April 2, it noted that it planned to run the Ecce Panis business as part of its Pepperidge Farm bakery operations.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Campbell anticipates the acquisition will not have a material impact on fiscal 2009 earnings and will be slightly accretive to earnings in fiscal 2010.

Founded in 1988 as a small Manhattan bakery, Ecce Panis has a premium portfolio of hand crafted, stone-baked artisan breads that are sold primarily through the in-store bakeries of leading retailers and grocery chains across the country. The par baked frozen breads and rolls are shipped to customers where the baking process is finished within their in-store bakeries.

Ecce Panis has 115 employees and a state-of-the-art bakery operation in East Brunswick where it uses a unique baking technique to deliver superior products, according to Campbell Soup.