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Tropical Cheese, a leading U.S. producer of Hispanic dairy and refrigerated foods, has announced the appointment of Ian McBride to the newly created role of Vice President of Sales for National Accounts. The move signals the company's intent to aggressively scale its distribution network across major grocery, mass, and club channels nationwide.

The addition of McBride to the executive team follows a period of rapid structural growth for Tropical Cheese, designed to consolidate its position as a dominant platform in the high-growth Hispanic refrigerated food category.

McBride joins Tropical Cheese with a robust resume in commercial leadership across heavyweight CPG organisations. Most recently, he led the Large Format customer segment for KIND, where he was responsible for major U.S. grocery and natural channel retailers. During his tenure, he was credited with expanding distribution and strengthening in-store execution through disciplined joint business planning.

Prior to KIND, McBride held senior sales and customer leadership roles at Amplify Snacks (The Hershey Company), Mars Wrigley, and ConAgra. His background heavily emphasises the management of complex broker networks and cross-functional alignment with supply chain and marketing teams—skills critical for scaling regional brands into national retail fixtures.

Unlocking National Retail Partnerships

Vic Mehren, CEO of Tropical Cheese, framed the appointment as a necessary operational upgrade to match the brand's growth ambitions.

"Ian's experience leading large customer accounts, navigating complex broker networks and implementing cross-functional commercial strategies will be critical at this point in our growth journey," Mehren stated. "His ability to turn strategy into simple, executable plans with retailers will help us unlock the full potential of our brands and deepen partnerships with national and regional accounts."

Commenting on his new role, McBride highlighted the category's momentum: "Tropical Cheese has strong brand loyalty with Hispanic and Caribbean consumers, and there is a clear runway for expansion. I am looking forward to... helping our customers expand their offerings in the Hispanic refrigerated foods category."

Building a Scaled Platform

McBride's appointment is the latest in a series of strategic moves by Tropical Cheese to build a comprehensive go-to-market infrastructure.

The hire closely follows the company's recent acquisition of Cibao Meat Products, a move that significantly expanded its portfolio beyond dairy and into the broader refrigerated meats sector. Additionally, the company recently brought on Ivonne Balsinde as Chief Growth Officer. Together, these developments underscore Tropical Cheese's transition from a specialised regional producer into a scaled, multi-category platform engineered for national retail dominance.