Link Snacks, better known as Jack Link's Protein Snacks, has hired foodservice industry veteran Jeff Caswell as president of North America, the beef jerky company announced on LinkedIn on Wednesday.
Caswell joins Jack Link’s from Mid America Pet Food, where he was CEO and a board member for the past two years, according to his LinkedIn bio. Prior to that, he was CEO and a board member for Hispanic food manufacturer Sabrosura Foods.
“Jeff is a proven leader with deep experience leading food and consumer packaged goods companies across large, complex organizations and highly entrepreneurial environments,” said Troy Link, CEO of Link Snacks, in the announcement. “He brings a strong understanding of consumer behavior, brand building, and what it takes to grow businesses in competitive categories.”
Caswell’s move to Jack Link’s isn’t his first foray into snacks. Between 2019 and 2021, he was president of General Mills’ snacking division, where he helped the company launch four new categories — ready-to-eat cookies, sweet baked goods, ready-to-eat popcorn and combo snacks. Before General Mills, Caswell held multiple leadership roles with Tyson Foods for five years, including senior vice president and general manager of its breakfast division, SVP and GM of consumer brands and snacking, and VP and GM of the Hillshire Farm brands portfolio.
Earlier in his career, he was director of marketing in snacks for PepsiCo and VP of marketing in North America for Danone food products.
“With Jeff’s leadership on board, we’re laser-focused on what we do best: providing real meat protein snacks for the entire family and fueling our next era of growth across North America,” Jack Link’s said in its announcement.
Jack Link's has a significant presence in U.S. convenience stores, as beef jerky is popular among consumers on road trips or simply stopping for gas and making an impulse snack purchase. Jack Link’s was the top-selling meat-stick brand in U.S. convenience stores in 2023 by dollar sales, according to Statista.
