Katie Grady has been named chief customer officer of Stryve Foods Inc., a Plano-based leader in the air-dried meat snack industry in the United States.

Jerry Goldner is also assuming the role of senior vice president/general manager to lead marketing, the e-commerce channel and the innovation agenda for Stryve, the company said.

“I am excited to have Katie join our team, we have made tremendous progress on our transformation, and we are now entering into the growth phase. Her experience and capabilities are exactly what we need to achieve the next level of growth,” CEO Chris Boever said in a statement. “She understands and is committed to building brands and developing our customer relationships in order to achieve the winning outcomes for the categories we compete in.”

Grady said she is excited to join the company during a crucial time as it has undergone significant change under Boever’s leadership.

“Chris and I have experience together from our time at Hain, where we delivered accelerated revenue growth and enhanced profitability across several better-for-you categories, similar to the opportunity at Stryve,” Grady said in a statement.

Previously, Grady was vice president of sales & marketing at Living Greens Farm.

Before that, Grady built more than 10 years of experience at The Hain Celestial Group, where she was vice president, sales. There, she surpassed revenue growth targets and successfully expanded Hain’s market share.

Prior to Hain, Grady was a national accounts broker, managing prominent consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. Early in her career, Grady worked as a category buyer for Macy’s.

‘Stryving’ for healthy snack dominance

Stryve is a premium air-dried meat snack company that markets under the brands of Braaitime, Kalahari, Stryve, and Vacadillos.

Stryve said its mission is “to help Americans eat better and live happier, better lives.”

Unlike beef jerky, Stryve’s all-natural air-dried meat snack products are made of beef and spices, are never cooked, contain zero grams of sugar, and are free of monosodium glutamate, gluten, nitrates, nitrites, and preservatives.

Stryve fuels growth with strategic financing and acquisition

Founded in 2017, Stryve went public in July 2021.

In September 2022, Stryve closed on previously announced credit facilities totaling up to $26 million in committed borrowing capacity. And in April of this year, the company secured an additional $4.1 million in funding.

In an “ongoing journey to disrupt the consumer packaged goods sector,” the company will use the funds to support ongoing development, per Deli Market News. 

CEO Boever said the strategic financial move is a response to the increasing demand the company faces, ensuring its sustained growth trajectory.

Boever also noted significant improvements in the company’s cost model across various aspects of the business. The productivity program is reportedly yielding operational enhancements, driving down costs and improving profit margins, according to the publication.

Boever called the customer response to Styrve’s category growth solution and new packaging “exceptional.”

The story has been updated to reflect that the former CEO of Stryve Foods, Joe Oblas, not Stryve, acquired Quevos through a new holdings company.

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