Del Real Foods, a leading Hispanic refrigerated foods company, today announced the appointment of Viviano del Villar, Jr. as its new Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Mr. Del Villar will lead the company's supply chain functions, including operations, logistics, warehouse, maintenance, and engineering. Del Real is owned by a private fund affiliated with Palladium Equity Partners, LLC in partnership with the Cardenas family, the company's founders.
Mr. Del Villar most recently served as VP, Manufacturing Excellence at Bonduelle Fresh Americas, a leading provider of ready-to-eat fresh foods, including pre-packaged salad blends, kits, and meal bowls. Prior to that, he served in multiple operational roles in plant management, health and safety, and continuous improvement for Kraft Heinz, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world. Mr. Del Villar earned his BS degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
"We are excited to welcome Viviano to our company's leadership team. Viviano shares our commitment to employee health and safety and brings an impressive track record of delivering on continuous improvement initiatives throughout his career," said Mike Axelrod, Del Real's Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Del Villar added: "I am looking forward to accelerating Del Real's growth and to partnering with the team to tackle the challenges – and opportunities – presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is especially significant to me that Del Real during this period has not missed a beat in delighting thousands of families with delicious authentic Hispanic meals enjoyed in the comfort of home."
About Del Real Foods
Del Real Foods, based in Mira Loma, California, is a manufacturer of branded and private label heat-and-serve authentic Mexican cuisine products including meats (like carnitas, barbacoa and al pastor), prepared specialty items (like tamales and pupusas), fresh salsas and side dishes. The company sells its products to the club, retail, foodservice and wholesale distributor channels. For more information on Del Real, please visit http://delrealfoods.com.
About Palladium Equity Partners, LLC
Palladium is a middle market private equity firm with nearly $3 billion of assets under management. The firm seeks to acquire and grow companies in partnership with founders and experienced management teams by providing capital, strategic guidance and operational oversight. Since its founding in 1997, Palladium has made 35 platform investments and over 135 add-on acquisitions. A private equity fund affiliated with Palladium Equity Partners, LLC has been invested in Del Real Foods since October 2016. For more information on Palladium Equity Partners, please visit www.palladiumequity.com.
