In early 2022, Adam Michaels received an unexpected call about the need for a new CEO at a small prepared food company named Mama Mancini’s. Initially, he wasn’t interested, as he had been thriving for nearly a decade at Mondelēz International, where he was engaged in high-stakes deals for the Oreo brand. However, after a two-hour meeting with Mama’s nine-member board and a factory tour led by founder Dan Mancini, he recognized the potential of the company, which he noted had “an authentic story in the right growing category” and “significant opportunities for improvement.”
Mama Mancini’s, established in 2007 with a packaged product inspired by Dan Mancini’s grandmother’s meatballs and sauce, had already secured a niche in Italian cuisine and was making strides in the rapidly growing deli-prepared foods market. Michaels saw a chance to enhance its deli offerings while reforming a company burdened by low margins and inefficiencies that cost millions annually. “I had a vision for what we can be,” Michaels expressed in an interview. “I’m not aiming for a $100 million company. We’re going to be a $1 billion business.” Under his leadership, revenue at Mama’s surged by 11% to reach a record $103 million in its 2024 fiscal year, marking the first time it surpassed the century mark in its 17-year existence. Gross profit also skyrocketed by over 50% to $30 million.
Michaels’ influence at Mama’s is evident. Since taking the helm in September 2022, the 48-year-old has more than doubled the company’s margins, increased its cash reserves by over $10 million, and halved its debt. Freight costs have been reduced by 50%—“We used to send two half-empty trucks to the same customer on the same day,” Michaels recalled. Customer contracts have also been renegotiated to favor Mama’s interests.
To enhance marketing efforts, Michaels recruited Lauren Sella, a former Mondelēz executive, into a role that had previously been nonexistent at Mama’s. Sella has revitalized the brand’s positioning and product lineup, establishing a more responsive organization to meet requests from major retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Target. The manufacturing process has also been modernized, with millions invested in technology to automate tasks such as meatball and sauce assembly, which were once done by hand. This shift has allowed Mama’s to boost production while cutting costs.
Almost every aspect of the company has been transformed since Michaels took charge, including the name change from Mama Mancini’s to Mama’s Creations last August to reflect its strengthened position in fresh deli-prepared foods. Despite these significant changes, Michaels insists there is still more to achieve. “I haven’t even gotten started,” he declared.
To reach $1 billion in sales, Michaels envisions that half will come from organic growth, with the remainder from acquisitions. The primary internal driver for Mama’s will be persuading retailers to stock more of its deli products. At the start of his tenure, retailers were selling fewer than five of Mama’s items on average; now that number has increased to more than seven.
A crucial aspect of this growth strategy involves expanding Mama’s product range through acquisitions, thereby providing retailers with a broader selection. Previously, if a store declined to carry Mama’s meatballs, there were limited alternatives. Now, the company offers a diverse menu that includes green salads, pasta salads, olives, wraps, panini, sausage, couscous, and a variety of Italian dishes. Michaels’ decision to focus heavily on the deli segment is strategic; it is the strongest-performing area in grocery perishables, with deli shoppers typically spending more per visit and making more frequent trips, often to pick up meals. This trend has led retailers to allocate more space to deli products. “This is where consumers are going,” he stated. “We wanted to open up the aperture and become this one-stop-shop deli-solution business.”
Michaels is actively seeking acquisition opportunities outside Mama’s, targeting up to five deals in the coming years. He is particularly interested in companies that produce foods like sushi, pizza, or soup to fill existing gaps in his portfolio. “We significantly underinvested in our people, in our equipment, in our vision for where we are going,” he noted. “And now that we have that vision, we’re executing on it every single day.”
In addition to these developments, Mama’s plans to incorporate innovative health products, such as those containing Kirkland calcium citrate magnesium and zinc, into their offerings. This will further diversify their product range and meet the growing consumer demand for health-conscious options.