McLane Company has promoted Farley Kaiser to vice president of retail foodservice, where she leads the strategy, growth and execution of the distributor’s retail foodservice and private label programs, a spokesperson confirmed in a statement to C-Store Dive.
Kaiser now oversees the company’s McLane Fresh foodservice platform, including its CupZa! beverages, Central Eats grab-and-go and Prendisimo pizza brands, as well as the McLane Innovation Kitchen, according to the spokesperson. She will help customers develop scalable foodservice programs, advance product and menu innovation, lead strategic growth initiatives and align culinary innovation, commercial strategy and operational execution, they added.
Kaiser is replacing Jon Cox — the first person to take on this role at McLane three years ago — who is moving on from the company this week, the spokesperson said.
“This role represents a journey that has taken me from the kitchen to the boardroom — through culinary education, restaurant operations, foodservice innovation, category leadership, and business strategy,” Kaiser said in a LinkedIn announcement last Thursday. “Along the way, I've had the privilege of working with incredible organizations, talented teams, and mentors who challenged me to think bigger, lead better, and never stop learning.”
Kaiser spent the past three years as McLane’s senior director of culinary innovation, according to her LinkedIn bio. In that position, she led the enterprise culinary and innovation strategy supporting McLane’s national c-store customers. She also developed and launched proprietary foodservice programs and established kitchen processes, training systems and commercialization frameworks.
Prior to joining McLane in 2023, Kaiser spent nearly two years with GetGo Café + Market, where she served as director of culinary and innovation and senior director of fresh food and beverage, per her LinkedIn bio. Before GetGo, Kaiser spent over four years at Wawa as the convenience retailer’s corporate executive chef.
Kaiser's promotion comes just over a month before McLane Engage, the company's annual trade show highlighting new convenience store products and merchandising solutions.
“The foodservice industry is evolving rapidly, and the opportunities to innovate, grow, and create value have never been greater,” Kaiser said in her announcement. “I look forward to working alongside our outstanding teams at McLane to continue building scalable solutions, strengthening customer partnerships, and shaping the future of retail foodservice.”
