Digital supply-chain leader Pod Foods appoints Mike Schall as president

Pod Foods, the leading grocery B2B marketplace platform, announced today that Mike Schall has joined its leadership team as president. Schall brings over four decades of senior management and leadership experience in branded food companies and retail grocery, spanning entrepreneurial initiatives to large national brands. He is joining Pod Foods to power revenue-generating initiatives and manage new business development opportunities.

Prior to his most recent role as a consultant for B. Riley Financial, Schall served as co-leader and managing director of the Food & Beverage practice at FocalPoint Partners, the premier Los Angeles-based, middle-market investment banking firm, which was subsequently acquired by B. Riley Financial. Previously, Schall served as senior principal of global growth and business development at Whole Foods Market, where he advised the Executive “E” Team, Regions and Internal Procurement, as well as merchandising teams on diverse business initiatives including investments, strategic partnerships, new ventures, Whole Foods Market private label product development, sustainability initiatives and operational improvements. 

Pod Foods has been adding large grocery retailers—most recently, Sprouts Farmers Market—to its platform. The company provides more than 500 brands with distribution and supply chain services across the United States.

“Joining forces with Mike marks an inflection point in our journey,” said Larissa Russell, co-founder and CEO. “Top industry leaders are acknowledging the magnitude of change and competitive advantage of our tech-driven solutions that provide much-needed speed and transparency to the supply chain. Their expertise, credibility and long-standing relationships enable us to accelerate even further and double down on data tools and other product initiatives as we scale. Having Mike in the leadership team provides Pod Foods with a depth of knowledge and experience honed over decades of senior leadership roles in the CPG industry.” 

Schall also serves as an advisory board member for several companies including Better Sour, LiveMore Organics and Nulixir; a director on the boards of Good Planet Foods and The Sugarman of Vermont; and a senior advisor to Conscious Capitalism.

“I’m joining Pod Foods to empower emerging local, regional and national brands with insights and provide access to our retail partners. By serving retailers in all channels as a trend-leading foraging engine, Pod’s speed to market, data intelligence and future-forward platform helps brands and retailers alike make more informed decisions to ultimately satisfy and delight their shoppers.”

Schall will be joining his former Whole Foods Market colleague, Peter Gialantzis, who most recently led the growth team at KeHE Foods. Gialantzis joined Pod Foods in late 2022 as VP of business development, quickly ascending to SVP of sales and operations, leveraging supply chain expertise from Whole Foods Market, Lucky’s Market (a division of Kroger) and more.

Co-founded by former food entrepreneurs Larissa Russell and Fiona Lee, Pod Foods was named a 2022 Top 10 Most Innovative Food company by Fast Company and is backed by Moment Ventures, M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Industrious Ventures, Unshackled Ventures, XRC Labs, Interstate Fusion Fund and others. The company is building a proprietary data set on consumer trends from a broad array of sources that serves as a leading indicator to point of sale and other syndicated data. The platform functions as a full-service alternative to traditional wholesale distribution models, enabling retailers and brands to connect directly and transact with full-service logistics.

Source: Pod Foods