HARRISONBURG,Va. — Farmer Focus, the only 100% organic and humane-certified chicken company with a mission to protect and promote generational family farms, announced the appointment of Debarshi Sengupta as Chief Financial Officer. Sengupta brings with him over 20 years of financial and operational experience.
As CFO, he will build on the company’s strong financial foundation and performance-oriented culture. Sengupta will oversee Finance & Accounting, FP&A, IT, Treasury, Tax and Investor Relations, as well as manage Farmer Focus’ relationships with investors, lending institutions, and the financial community. He will use his diverse and extensive financial knowledge across the protein and CPG industries to guide Farmer Focus’s growth and solidify its position as the largest exclusively organic poultry company. Debarshi is succeeding the retiring CFO Dan Detamore-Hunsberger, who led the company to profitability through its early growth stage and established a solid foundation.
“We are grateful for Dan’s steadfast leadership over the years that has made it possible for Farmer Focus to execute its mission,” noted Erik Vaughan, Farmer Focus’ President and COO. “As we look to take the company to the next level, Debarshi’s financial acumen and operational experience will be instrumental in creating a strategic path forward and fueling our tremendous growth.”
Sengupta joins the company from Clarity Food Ventures LLC, the mission-based branded CPG startup he co-founded. Prior to that, Sengupta was at JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT), a global food equipment solutions provider. At JBT, he served as Executive Vice President overseeing M&A, Strategy, Investor Relations and FP&A, and also as Division CFO of the company’s largest segment, FoodTech Protein. Prior to JBT, Sengupta advised global food & beverage clients as an investment banker at Banc of America Securities. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA and Master of Engineering Management (MEM) from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and McCormick School of Engineering, respectively.
“I am honored and humbled to take on this servant leadership role at a company whose powerful mission and values I am strongly drawn to,” Sengupta said. “Joining the Farmer Focus team will enable me to use my experience and talent to help transform an industry and help this company set an example of how food companies can create meaningful and lasting change.”
This hire is the most recent indication of the momentous growth Farmer Focus is experiencing, bolstered by its mission and fueled by consumers’ adoption of its branded products. Other noteworthy markers of expansion include:
- In 2021 & 2020, the Farmer Focus farming family grew by 62%. The company currently works with over 73 family farmers, with over 100 more on the waiting list.
- Farmer Focus is the #2 organic chicken brand in grocery stores over the latest 13 weeks as indicated by IRI Sales Data Period ending 8.8.21.
- Farmer Focus is the #1 fastest growing brand in grocery stores over the latest 52 weeks as indicated by IRI Sales Data Period ending 8.8.21.
- Farmer Focus became the largest exclusively organic chicken company in the US.
ABOUT FARMER FOCUS
Founded by sixth-generation chicken farmer Corwin Heatwole in 2014, Farmer Focus is the only 100% organic and Humane Certified chicken company with a mission to protect and promote generational family farms. By shifting farm-level decision-making and chicken ownership back to farmers and empowering them to farm the way they know is best, Farmer Focus significantly improves the financial viability of the farm and farmer profit. Available in 2,500 stores throughout the East Coast and Midwest, including major retailers like Publix, Kroger, Harris Teeter, and more, Farmer Focus is committed to consistently producing exceedingly delicious, 100% organic and humanely raised chicken that is better for people, the planet, and animals.
