Dive Brief:
- Freshly has appointed Anna Fabrega, a former Amazon executive who joined the meal subscription service's leadership team in January, as CEO, effective immediately, according to a Tuesday press release.
- Fabrega is assuming leadership of Freshly from co-founder Mike Wystrach, who has headed the company since its inception in 2012. Wystrach will become an advisor to the Freshly board of directors.
- Wystrach's abrupt replacement as leader of Freshly comes less than a year after the company was purchased by Nestlé.
Dive Insight:
Fabrega is ascending to the role of CEO after serving as Freshly's chief commercialization officer, a position she assumed shortly after Nestlé took over the company last October in a deal that valued it at $950 million. She will report to Steve Presley, chairman and CEO of the international food manufacturer's U.S. division.
In her previous position at Freshly, Fabrega oversaw marketing, brand, menu development, customer experience and sales for the company, which has expanded its operations rapidly this year, fueled by strong customer demand for its health-focused meals. Freshly delivers more than 1 million meals per week to customers in 48 states, and took advantage of Nestlé's expertise to introduce a line of plant-based meals in August following several years of planning.
"It's never an easy decision to move on from something you've built from the ground up, but I'm excited to take my passion for creating new innovations for consumers on to my next chapter, and I look forward to seeing Anna lead the Freshly business to new heights," Wystrach said in a statement.
Before joining Freshly in early 2021, Fabrega was in charge of the Amazon Go fleet of automated brick-and-mortar stores. She also led the Amazon Kitchen private label fresh foods business and earlier held other positions for the e-commerce giant. Before joining Amazon in 2011, Fabrega served in roles at companies including Microsoft and convenience store chain Stripes.
In a post on Medium, Wystrach hinted that he is looking to start a new business, without offering details about his plans.
"I am looking forward to incorporating all of the lessons I learned with Freshly into a brand new company (and a new industry). I am incredibly excited to see if we can build something even bigger. Stay tuned…," Wystrach wrote.
