A bench of experienced operators for food and consumer products companies.
Benchrock Advisors works with companies at the inflection points where what got the business here does not fully match what comes next. A channel ready to open. A margin structure under pressure. A plant, a distributor, or a market that needs a different kind of experience in the room.
The people doing the work have run the functions they advise on. Benchrock brings the right operating experience around the business and works with management on the decisions that matter most.
Most food and consumer products companies do not fail at strategy. They fail in execution. In the decisions made under market pressure, where a buyer relationship, a margin structure, or a production choice determines whether the next twelve months produce traction or noise. Those decisions go better with someone in the room who has made them before.
People who have been in the seat.
Benchrock is built around experienced operators who have led businesses and functions across retail and distribution, foodservice, international markets, finance, and manufacturing. Their experience is complementary, allowing Benchrock to bring the right operator, or combination of operators, to the situation.
When specialized experience is needed beyond the bench, Benchrock can also draw on relationships developed over years in the industry.
A clear place to start.
Many engagements begin with an Operating Review: a focused look at a defined part of the business by an operator who has run that function. It gives a clear picture of what is working, what is not, and where to start. Scope and terms are set for each engagement.
Where the bench works.
The work spans the full arc of the industry, from agriculture and processing through distribution, restaurant operations, and retail, including supplements and nutraceuticals. These are the areas where the bench is deepest today.
Retail and Distribution
Headquarter sales strategy, broker selection and oversight, category review preparation, distributor structure, pricing and trade spend, and marketplace discipline on Amazon and Walmart.
Foodservice and International
Foodservice channel strategy, US market entry for international brands including importer selection and FDA and UPC compliance, and expansion for US brands into Asia and Australia.
Finance and Manufacturing
Operating finance, SKU-level cost accounting, gross margin discipline, cash flow, plant-level efficiency, and the reporting a growing company needs before a lender or buyer asks for it.
Three situations. One discipline.
Beyond the review, work is scoped to the situation. These are the three that come up most.
Entering retail, foodservice, or a new market, and staying there.
When growth is not turning into the economics it should.
Getting the operation ready for scrutiny before a sale, financing, or acquisition.
For sponsors and family offices with food and consumer holdings, Benchrock also provides an operating voice at the board or portfolio level.
The core team.
Benchrock's Senior Operators bring decades of experience inside food and consumer products companies. Their backgrounds are different and complementary.
Individual profiles below illustrate the depth and range across the Benchrock team.
Aaron Badart
Nearly two decades working with food, agriculture, and consumer products businesses at the points where they have to change: a growth plan, a restructuring, an acquisition, a sale, or a new market. That experience spans hands-on operating leadership, advisory work, and transactions. Much of that work was done over more than a decade at an international, management-focused private equity and advisory firm, working directly with management on what was happening in the business, what needed to change, and who had to be in the room to move it forward.
Representative engagements include restructuring work with one of the largest U.S. growers in its horticulture segment, a multi-year engagement with a nutraceutical manufacturer and distributor with more than $200 million in revenue and tens of thousands of SKUs, an agricultural aggregation involving roughly $500 million in combined revenue, and acquisition and growth planning across dairy, fresh produce, and specialty food. Has worked with government and trade organizations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia on cross-border market entry. Former professional tennis player and Division I student-athlete at USC.
Mike Robinson
Forty years in consumer packaged goods, focused on emerging brand development, national distribution, and brokerage operations across natural, organic, specialty, and health and wellness categories. Co-founded a national brokerage company representing emerging brands, built on relationships with KeHE, UNFI, Sprouts, and specialty retailers nationwide.
Previously Corporate Vice President of Brokerage Operations at Tree of Life, directing a national food brokerage representing more than 300 manufacturers and approximately $350 million in annual sales, with five division vice presidents, 120 people, and full P&L responsibility. Before that, two decades in the military resale channel, managing commissary sales across Korea, Japan, Guam, Hawaii, and the mainland, and serving as President of the American Logistics Association's Hawaii and Southern California chapters. Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Fresno, with advanced business studies at the University of Hawaiʻi Shidler College of Business.
Jeff Carrick
More than fifty years in food, beginning in 1972 after military service. Held management positions at McCormick, including general manager in Indianapolis, national sales manager at Hunt Valley, and international manager based in Hong Kong, after McCormick acquired All Portions, where his career began. Later Western Regional Vice President of Foodservice at Sysco and Executive Vice President at International Food and Beverage, a frozen pizza manufacturer.
Founded Update International and founded a Newport Beach food brokerage that grew to 46 people before it was sold. Has managed more than seventy retail and foodservice brokers over a four-decade career, with working relationships across mainstream retail, natural and specialty channels, and foodservice, and international experience across Asia and Australia.
Sandy Sanchez
Over thirty years of financial management experience across three of the top international food corporations, with career progression from Cost Accountant through Plant Controller and Regional Controller to Chief Financial Officer. Fifteen years as Regional Controller for one corporation's Western region, including being on the initial test group that installed its SAP sales module and receiving the annual financial leadership award for sales forecasting accuracy. Experience covers budgets, forecasting, auditing, variance reporting, cost accounting, payroll, and the cross-functional management of accounting, inventory control, purchasing, and IT teams.
Compliance work spans GAAP, Sarbanes-Oxley, Robinson-Patman Act, and truth-in-labeling requirements. Current Chief Financial Officer experience with emerging and growth-stage food brands, working on cost structure, financial systems, gross margin discipline, and the financial infrastructure that supports scaling. Earlier in career, served active duty at the Pentagon in the Office of Management and Budget for the US Navy, preparing the consolidated annual budget from all bases and ships for the Secretary of the Navy to present to the Secretary of Defense.
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