Schwan’s Company has announced the creation of Schwan’s Strategic Partner Solutions, a new business unit focused on growing the company’s private-label and contract-packing businesses with select retailers and food manufacturers. Schwan’s CEO, Dimitrios Smyrnios, said creating the new business unit strongly aligns the company with the increasing strategic importance of private-label brands and products in the marketplace.

“Increasingly, we know that today’s consumers see tremendous value in both branded and high-quality private-label products when making their grocery purchases,” said Smyrnios. “We believe our dynamic manufacturing capabilities, iconic brands, high-quality foods, and deep consumer insights position us well to help our customers grow their branded and private-label businesses as they work to meet the evolving needs of consumers.”

Founded in 1952, Schwan’s Company’s subsidiaries have accumulated decades of experience making and packaging delicious, high-quality foods and beverages both for its own brands and external companies. Currently, some of Schwan’s main focuses for its private-label and co-packing activities include ice cream, pies, snacks and appetizers, pizza, beverages (primarily smoothies), sauces and aluminum packaging.

“Our goal is to lead in every category in which we compete. In creating a new private-label and co-packing business unit, we are achieving two objectives. We are increasing our strategic focus on our private-label business, a rapidly growing and vitally important market segment for our customers. And, we are enabling other Schwan’s business units to intensify their focus on growing our own strong retail brands,” Smyrnios said.

Strategic Partner Solutions leader

Joe Pacinelli, who joined Schwan’s through this past summer’s acquisition of Better Baked Foods, has been appointed president of Schwan’s Strategic Partner Solutions. He will report to Smyrnios and serve as a member of Schwan’s executive leadership team. Pacinelli is an experienced, well-known leader within the food industry. He was with Better Baked Foods for 19 years and had served as its president since 2005. In addition, Pacinelli has served as a board member with the American Frozen Food Institute for 12 years.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Joe’s experience, industry relationships and business acumen join our company and take on this new opportunity to work strategically with our customers,” Smyrnios said. “He will have the full support of a cross-functional Schwan’s team whose members have a diverse set of skills and experiences in the food industry. All of us will be focused on delivering excellent quality products and services to our business partners across several different categories.”

One important category for the new business unit will be pizza. Schwan’s Strategic Partner Solutions is working quickly to grow its support of select retail and contract-packing customers on their needs in the category. Earlier this summer, Schwan’s Company announced several acquisitions that are helping the company expand its presence in the pizza market. The acquisitions included MaMa Rosa’s Pizza, of Sidney, Ohio; and NE Foods Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiaries of Better Baked Foods, of North East, Penn., and Drayton Foods, of Fargo, N.D.