Initiative Foods Names Don Ephgrave as CEO
- iolson55
- Oct 14
- 2 min read
Sanger, CA - Initiative Foods, one of the nation’s largest baby food manufacturers, is proud to announce that Don Ephgrave has been appointed as its new Chief Executive Officer effective October 6, 2025.
Mr. Ephgrave most recently served as President and CEO at ADAMS Extract & Spice where he drove strong top and bottom line growth. Prior to his role at ADAMS, Don worked as Vice President of Operations at Daily's Premium Meats, Vice President of Operations at De Wafelbakkers, Vice President of Operations at Beyond Meat, Sr. Director of Operations at Schwan's, and General Manager at Celebration Foods. Mr. Ephgrave has extensive food industry experience and expertise. Mr. Ephgrave adopts a philosophy of "win with people," where he builds a culture of truth and trust to drive performance.
Mr. Ephgrave joins Initiative Foods at an exciting moment in its history, as the company is well-positioned for continued expansion. With the right foundations already in place to support this trajectory, he is poised to accelerate growth and guide Initiative Foods into its next stage of success.
Mr. Blanco, Managing Partner at CVF Capital Partners, said "We are excited to welcome Don Ephgrave as the new CEO of Initiative Foods. Don brings a wealth of experience, proven leadership, and deep industry knowledge that make him the ideal choice to guide the company forward. His passion for developing teams and his industry expertise will be instrumental as Initiative Foods enters its next phase of growth. We are confident that under Don’s leadership, the company will continue to thrive, innovate, and strengthen its position as a leader in the baby food industry."
Michael Chang, Principal at Corbel Capital Partners, said, “We are pleased to welcome Mr. Ephgrave to Initiative Foods, and we are confident that his leadership and vision will guide the company to continued success.”
To view Mr. Ephgrave's experience, refer to his LinkedIn.
About Initiative Foods
Initiative Foods, based in Sanger, CA, is one of the largest U.S.-based baby food manufacturing companies. In the heart of the California Central Valley, Initiative Foods has access to some of the best fruits and vegetables grown in the country. Their Certified Organic products, premium baby food flavor profiles, and various packaging sizes continue to meet the needs of babies, and parents, throughout the country. For more information, please visit https://initiativefoods.com/
About CVF Capital Partners
CVF Capital Partners is a California-based investment firm that has raised $375 million since 2005 across three funds. Focused on the lower middle market in the Western U.S., CVF provides flexible growth capital and strategic support to companies in various sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, and logistics. CVF partners with management teams to drive meaningful, sustainable growth. https://www.cvfcapitalpartners.com/
About Corbel Capital Partners
Corbel manages over $1 billion of institutional capital across multiple funds. Corbel invests capital to facilitate growth investments, majority or minority buyouts, consummate strategic acquisitions, provide existing owners with near-term liquidity, creatively finance independent sponsor buyouts, provide rescue financing for turnaround situations, and make secondary purchases of existing securities. https://www.corbelcap.com/
For more information, contact:
Jose Blanco
Managing Partner
Phone: 530-757-7004 ext. 227
