UNFI Names New Chief Brands Officer

Providence, R.I.-based grocery wholesaler and distributor United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) has named its new chief brands officer who will oversee the company’s private label brands.

Angie Balian will oversee, evolve and grow UNFI’s brands as private label becomes increasingly popular among consumers due to inflation. Balian joined UNFI in July 2022 as chief of staff to Chris Testa, UNFI’s president. Balian’s appointment is effective immediately and she will continue reporting to Testa.

The promotion follows UNFI naming a new supply chain leader and opening a new distribution center in New Hampshire this month.

“There is a tremendous opportunity with our private and owned brand offerings as grocery retailers are specifically looking to us to help them source the unique products, value and price points they need to support their communities,” said Testa. “Angie’s experience with sales and marketing of national consumer-packaged brands along with her track record for building high-performing teams will help us grow and improve on what is already a very strong portfolio of UNFI products.”

Prior to joining UNFI, Balian most recently served as vice president and general manager of Weston Foods, a Toronto-based food manufacturer, where she oversaw overall business strategy and development. She also spent nearly 16 years at Coca-Cola Canada, finishing as an executive on the Canadian leadership team. Balian earned a B.A. in business administration and management from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

“I’ve had a chance to work alongside UNFI’s private label and owned brands teams over the last several months and I’m very impressed with the core brands, products and people we have in place,” said Balian. “The opportunity now is to build on this foundation, using consumer and customer feedback, data, and insights, to inform how and where we invest in our portfolio to best support the ever-changing food landscape. We know value is critically important to consumers and our offerings in private label and owned brand products must continue evolving and meet those demands today and for the future.”

UNFI delivers fresh, branded, and private label products to more than 30,000 banner locations across North America.