Darigold Names John Mueller CEO

The board of directors of the Darigold cooperative has named John E. Mueller its next chief executive officer.

Mueller has been in the food industry for 25 years, with domestic and international experience in the development of consumer branded products. While president and CEO of Unilever's U.S. subsidiary, Van den Bergh Foods, he was responsible for several well-known margarine brands, including Shedd's Country Crock, as well as products like Chicken Tonight, Mrs. Butterworth's, Adolf's and Ragu.

Mueller will be taking over for current president and CEO Wesley E. Eckert, who announced last October his plan to retire this spring, following 38 years with Darigold.

"I am looking forward to building on the heritage and foundation that has been developed at Darigold during the past 80 years," Mueller said. "Exciting challenges lie ahead, and I am committed to building a strong vibrant company that will serve the needs of our member-owners and our customers."

The Darigold cooperative organization is owned by 900 producer-members whose dairy farms are located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. Darigold processing plants located in those four states distribute to national and international markets.

Edited by Pam Ahlberg