McDermott + Bull has successfully placed Bert Pires as Vice President of Operations at Straus Family Creamery. In his role, Bert will lead the company’s manufacturing and supply chain operations, overseeing food safety, quality, warehousing, and distribution. He will partner closely with the executive leadership team to improve production efficiency, develop the operations leadership team, and guide capital investments that support long-term growth and the company’s sustainability goals.
Bert brings more than a decade of operations and engineering leadership experience in food and beverage manufacturing. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Engineering at Delicato Family Wines, where he oversaw capital project planning, budgeting, design, and execution. Previously, he served as Vice President of Operations at Rustic Bakery and Vice President of Engineering at Amy’s Kitchen, where he managed the company’s capital program and led projects to expand manufacturing capacity. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Operations at Bettera Brands, overseeing manufacturing functions including processing, packaging, purchasing, warehousing, and quality assurance. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Founded by Albert Straus in 1994, Straus Family Creamery is a family-owned organic dairy company in Northern California. The company makes organic dairy products at its creamery in Rohnert Park and sources milk from certified organic family farms in Marin and Sonoma counties. Sustaining local family farms is central to the company’s mission.
This executive search was completed by McDermott + Bull Managing Director Sebastian Jaimes and Lead Consultant, Executive Search + Talent Development Jennifer Ness.