Montréal, QC — Fontaine Santé Foods (“Fontaine Santé” or the “Company”), a leading North American platform for better for you snacking and refrigerated foods, has named Thomas “TJ” Kanaris as Chief Executive Officer. Headquartered in Montréal, the Company is one of the largest producers of hummus, dips, salads, salsa, and tofu in North America. Its products are sold under the Fontaine Santé® brand in Canada and the Garden Fresh Gourmet® and Lantana® brands in the United States.
Kanaris, a Canadian citizen, brings more than 25 years of consumer packaged goods (CPG) experience to Fontaine Santé. He most recently served as President of Select Food Products Ltd., a privately held branded and private-label sauces manufacturer in the Greater Toronto Area. There, Kanaris spearheaded a successful transformation that more than doubled sales and quadrupled EBITDA in under four years by expanding the company’s footprint across retail and foodservice channels in both Canada and the United States.
Additionally, Kanaris has held cross-border leadership roles at Unilever, Wrigley and Mars, with a track record of successfully transforming businesses to achieve accelerated growth through brand repositioning, product innovation, and best-in-class category management. A native of the Greater Toronto Area, he holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
“As an avid consumer, the Fontaine Santé brand has always stood out to me for its incredible taste, consistency, and quality,” said Kanaris. “I believe the company operates in categories that have favorable consumer tailwinds and an opportunity for further disruption. During my time at Mars and most recently at Select, I found success in pairing bold ambition with best-in-class execution and I look forward to leveraging a similar playbook at Fontaine Santé.”
Fontaine Santé is owned by Arbor Investments, a specialized private equity firm focused on acquiring companies in food, beverage, and related industries. Arbor announced the acquisition of the Company in November 2021.
“TJ brings the ideal mix of branded and private label experience, with a deep understanding of the cross-border CPG landscape,” said John Jordan, President of Arbor Investments. “His strategic mindset, commercial acumen, and leadership capabilities are exactly what Fontaine Santé needs right now to scale to the next level.”
