The Fresh Factory is a vertically integrated food manufacturing company focused on accelerating the growth of the fresh, clean-label, plant-based food and beverage brands of tomorrow.
Our team and directors
Bill is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Fresh Factory where he oversees daily operations, strategic planning, and shareholder engagement. Bill was President and COO at The Fresh Factory prior to his appointment as CEO. He began his career in health care at Cardinal Health, a Top 20 Fortune 500 multinational integrated health care service company, as a lean six-sigma black belt with a focus on perfecting operational process, improving cost-effectiveness, and optimizing performance. Bill most recently was the Operating Partner/COO for GreatPoint Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture fund, where he maintained operational oversight and managed funds with investments in industry-leading companies such as Beyond Meat and Farmer’s Fridge. Bill is a mentor, facilitator, and motivator who has guided multiple portfolio businesses to instill sound processes and achieve challenging goals.
Mike is the Chief Financial Officer of The Fresh Factory, where he leads financial strategy, planning, and execution with a focus on long-term value creation. As part of the executive team, he helps shape corporate strategy, manage capital, and drive financial performance. In addition to his finance role, Mike brings deep experience in commercialization and innovation—helping streamline how fresh, clean-label products go to market. Prior to becoming CFO, he led pricing strategy, customer contracts, and brand partnerships at The Fresh Factory. Mike’s background spans over a decade across finance and the food industry, with roles at Fortune 500 companies and startups. He began his career in investment banking and trading, then moved into the food sector at DuPont, focusing on global food systems and innovation. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.
Carl Purnell is the Chief Operating Officer at The Fresh Factory, where he leads all day-to-day operations, including production, supply chain, procurement, quality, and logistics. He is focused on building a high-performing, scalable manufacturing platform that delivers for the next generation of clean-label food brands. Carl brings a hands-on, systems-driven approach to operations—driving continuous improvement, strengthening cross-functional execution, and fostering a culture of accountability and excellence on the floor. As a key member of the executive team, Carl plays an integral role in aligning operational capabilities with the company’s long-term growth strategy. Prior to joining The Fresh Factory, Carl served as COO at Double Good, where he helped scale a fast-growing DTC popcorn brand by building out operational infrastructure and supporting rapid revenue growth. Before that, he held senior leadership roles at Diageo, managing complex supply chains and large-scale manufacturing environments across the food and beverage industry. Carl earned his Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Villanova University. He is known for his operational rigor, leadership presence, and deep experience scaling teams and processes in dynamic environments.
Donna Duwe is the Executive Vice President of Sales at The Fresh Factory, where she leads the company’s sales strategy, customer partnerships, and revenue growth initiatives. An accomplished sales leader with deep experience in the food and beverage industry, Donna brings a sharp focus on building strategic relationships, expanding brand presence, and driving results across both retail and foodservice channels.
Prior to joining The Fresh Factory, Donna served as Sales Director at TH Foods, where she played a pivotal role in shaping and executing the company’s national sales strategy. Her leadership contributed to significant growth through both new customer acquisition and expansion of existing accounts. Throughout her career, Donna has consistently delivered performance across fast-paced, competitive markets by combining industry knowledge with a collaborative, customer-first approach.
Her deep industry relationships and customer-focused mindset are helping to shape the next phase of growth at The Fresh Factory.
Jeff began his career working with large companies at Leo Burnett and now, as the founder and managing partner of Listen, a consumer-focused venture capital firm, helps innovators create and grow their brands. With $100M under management across three funds, Listen has invested in more than 20 early-stage brands. Jeff brings deep experience in the health and wellness movement, having led Listen’s seed investments in both Calm, the world’s largest mental fitness brand, and Factor, the leading fresh-prepared healthy meals brand, where Jeff served as a founding board member through its recent exit to Hello Fresh. In addition to Listen, Jeff serves as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, teaching Brand Strategy, and is active in the community, serving as a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and a board member for Ronald McDonald House Charities Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.
Lindsay is a seasoned CPG marketer turned executive coach focused on helping companies thrive through the challenge of change and scale. Lindsay served as Chief Marketing Officer at RXBAR, a high-growth snack company that was acquired by Kellogg’s for $600M in 2017, as well as the Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at Fluresh, a premium vertically integrated cannabis company. Lindsay also worked at PepsiCo, Stanford University, and Navigant Consulting. Lindsay holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University, serves on the boards of several high-growth CPG companies, and is a guest lecturer at Kellogg.
Tim Doelman brings more than 30 years of experience in the food and beverage manufacturing industry, with a proven record of scaling operations, driving growth, and fostering innovation. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of fairlife, LLC through the beginning of 2025, and is a founding member of the company, playing a pivotal role in its evolution from inception to reaching over $1B in retail sales by 2021. Before becoming CEO, Tim served as fairlife’s Chief Operating Officer, where he led efforts to reinvent the dairy industry with innovative products and processing technologies. He also served as CEO of Athletes HoneyMilk, launching Core Power, and he co-founded The Good Cow Company in 1999, where he developed key technologies that influenced fairlife’s success.
Nate is the former CEO of The Fresh Factory and current Board Chair where he advises the company on all aspects related to continued growth and high-level strategic considerations. Nate has more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, having founded and sold a number of companies in finance, energy, and the food industry, including Energy.Me, a retail energy supplier, and Amp Americas, a developer of renewable natural gas projects, where he continues to serve on the board. He has deep experience in investing and venture capital, having been a General Partner of Great Point Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture fund, and R2, a real estate development firm.
Who is The Fresh Factory?
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to build the infrastructure for the future of food and beverage, providing honest food for all in a sustainable way.
Our vision is to become the premiere manufacturer helping provide cleaner-label, plant-based, and better-for-you options for the food and beverage industry. To that end, we’ve built a vertically integrated platform from farm to shelf.
Our values
Safety + quality It all starts with safety and quality.
We provide a safe environment for all employees and make safe, high-quality food for all customers.
Innovation We make original and inspiring food.
We encourage and support creativity and forward-thinking, and we move quickly and efficiently to meet customer needs.
Excellence We’ll make tomorrow better than today.
We strive for high-quality performance and continually seek to improve. We are thoughtful in understanding the impact of our actions, making informed/data-driven decisions, and understanding our roles and what others do.
Integrity & Respect We do what we say and treat others how we want to be treated.
We act with honesty and transparency, speak candidly, and provide principled feedback. We treat others with dignity, empathy, and fairness. We honor commitments, help others, and always act in a responsible manner.
Sustainability It’s about something bigger.
We believe in creating a sustainable business that ensures the long-term viability of our organization while protecting the environment and benefiting society.
Our impact
Better for you We produce better tasting food packed with fresh produce and with clean labels. Tens of thousands of people have a product we made everyday.
Better for the community We donate 100% of our product extras. For our brands we source locally whenever we can (50% for 2024) and donate 1% of our sales to help the local community.
Better for the planet We use produce seconds whenever possible (nearly 1M lbs in 2020), compost 100% of our waste, and continue to work towards a carbon neutral facility.
