Most readers will probably not recognize the name Upfield. But any regular grocery shopper has almost certainly seen its products on store shelves. Famous names under the Dutch food producer’s umbrella include I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and Country Crock. In fact, Upfield traces its origins to Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès, the French chemist who invented margarine in the 19th Century.

The company maintains its U.S. headquarters in Hackensack. It was spun out of food giant Unilever in 2018. Now, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP backs it. In 2022, Upfield was one of four New Jersey companies IRI and Boston Consulting Group ranked among the fastest growing consumer packaged goods producers based on sales growth, volume growth and share growth nationally. Also that year, the company released what it said was the first report by a major food producer that detailed the greenhouse gas footprint of its supply chain and it urged other major food companies to be just as transparent.

In this edition of NJBIZ Conversations, Upfield President Jim Breach discusses the company’s commitment to sustainability, its latest efforts on research and distribution and what happens at its Hackensack test kitchen.

To watch the interview, click on the video below:

To listen instead, click on the podcast below: