Whisps, America’s bestselling cheese crisp brand, has announced John Ghingo has joined the company as chief executive officer. John, who most recently served as president of Applegate, brings to Whisps 21 years of industry experience working a variety of food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods companies, including Whitewave Company (Silk and So Delicious Dairy Free), and Mondelēz (Oreo, Cadbury, Trident and Belvita). At Whisps, John will be focused on furthering the company’s mission to bring premium, quality cheese to people nationwide through new innovations across multiple categories, as well as expand production and open new distribution channels for its existing products.

“In just a few short years, Whisps has grown into a remarkable brand and laid a great foundation for the future that I’m excited to shape alongside the team,” said John Ghingo, CEO of Whisps. “After launching the first commercial, snackable cheese crisp that celebrated 100% real cheese, there’s been an appetite from its fans to see what Whisps can create next, bringing its love of artisan cheese to more clean label, real foods, and snacks. I’m excited to merge my experience creating real, recognizable foods sourced from better food systems, with true innovations that delight consumers with solutions they will love.”

Launched in 2015, Whisps is best known for its delicious, high-protein line of cheese crisps made with 100% real cheese and select premium spices. All Whisps products are baked, not fried, delivering a high-quality and delicious snacking experience. Today, Whisps is the bestselling cheese crisps brand in America, with a household penetration of 7.5 percent. Available in 65,000+ doors and online, Whisps recently introduced its first innovations since its launch including an alternative to breadcrumbs and a keto-friendly cheese crisps and nuts mix.

“The average American consumes approximately 40 pounds of cheese per year, creating an immense opportunity for Whisps to grow,” said Iris Snyder, chief financial officer of Whisps. “Looking at what John has accomplished at other incredible brands, we’re confident that he’ll provide the vision we need to go from one aisle to many.”

Current CEO, Ilana Fischer, who took Whisps independent in 2019 after launching Whisps inside of Schuman Cheese, will continue on with the brand through a new role as an advisor for the board and executive leadership team. For more information on Whisps, please visit whisps.com.