Vandemoortele USA appoints Curt Coolidge as General Manager
The appointments are designed to support growth across key markets and enhance strategic execution following recent acquisitions and investments.
USA – Vandemoortele USA, a leading provider of frozen bakery products to the foodservice, retail, and convenience store sectors, has announced a leadership transition to support continued growth in North America and across the wider group.
The company appointed Curt Coolidge as General Manager, succeeding Thierry Schmitz, who is transitioning to a new leadership position at Vandemoortele’s headquarters in Ghent, Belgium.
Coolidge has held similar roles in both private equity-owned and strategic bakery platforms, most recently at Sara Lee Frozen Bakery.
As General Manager, he will oversee the company’s North American commercial strategy, growth initiatives, and operations, with a strong focus on accelerating North American expansion through acquisition management, growth of the company’s BakeUp portfolio, and scaling Vandemoortele’s core categories.
Reflecting on his tenure leading the US division, Schmitz said it had been an incredibly rewarding chapter, expressing pride in what the team achieved together, confidence that the division was in exceptional hands with Coolidge, and enthusiasm for supporting Vandemoortele’s global growth from his new role in Belgium.
During his tenure as outgoing General Manager, Thierry Schmitz oversaw several commercial milestones, including Vandemoortele’s landmark acquisition of a majority stake in New Jersey-based Banneton Bakery.
In his executive role within the company’s US division, Coolidge will focus heavily on managing these newly integrated assets, driving innovative product lines such as the BakeUp portfolio, and scaling core premium culinary categories such as Lanterna and Patisserie Du Chef across foodservice, retail, and convenience store channels.
The leadership change comes as Vandemoortele continues an active period of international expansion.
In the first half of 2025, the Group achieved revenue growth supported by recent acquisitions, while continuing to invest in efficiency and future expansion.
According to CEO Yvon Guérin, the integration of recent acquisitions in Italy and the USA drove revenue growth, while teams focused on improving product mix, investing in innovation, and managing costs.
Looking ahead, Guérin noted that the pending acquisitions of Bunge’s European Margarines & Spreads business and of Délifrance would be transformative, broadening the company’s product portfolio and enhancing its international presence.
In 2025, Vandemoortele also expanded its presence in the Italian frozen bakery market by acquiring Lizzi Srl, which operates four production plants in Northern Italy specializing in frozen bakery products, including sweet and savoury pastries, patisserie, bread, pizza, and focaccia, an acquisition that, together with the 2024 acquisition of Acquaviva, further expanded the company’s portfolio and reinforced its market position.
Together, the US leadership transition and ongoing acquisition strategy reflect Vandemoortele’s continued push to strengthen its frozen bakery and plant-based food operations across Europe, North America, and beyond.
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