Califia Farms CEO and leadership

Dave Ritterbush works at Red Bull and a Chief Executive Officer at popchips, Board Member at SIMPLY GOOD FOODS CO, and Chief Executive Officer at Califia Farms and is based in Los Angeles, California. He has worked as Pres:Quest Nutrition LLC at SIMPLY GOOD FOODS CO, VP/General Manager at Red Bull North America, and Chief Executive Officer/PRESIDENT at quest nutrition. Dave works or has worked as MEMBER at Bay Area Junior Achievement Board. He studied at SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY between 1985 and 1989.

Operations leader with proven track record of consistently improving business performance. President, with full P&L responsibility, and Board of Directors experience. Inclusive leader skilled at building and leading high performance teams. Strategic thinker but greatest strength is tactical execution to deliver strategic plan.Key Competencies: • Creating a strategic vision and plan• Building high performance teams • Leadership of tactical execution• Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement• Turnaround and transformational leadership • Organizational redesign and downsizing• Leadership of growth and expansion• New product development

Inventor & entrepreneur with 40+ years experience in complex problem solving, patent creation, product development, and large scale commercialization.

My career spans the sectors of food, coffee, wine, cacao, medical devices, urology and renewal energy. With 25+ patents to date, I bring an unique blend of deep scientific knowledge and hands-on creativity to invention and commercialization of new products. My passion is food and health related products.

Currently, as Chief Scientist at Califia Farms I direct their innovation and new product developments. Califia Farms is one of the fastest growing almond milk/plant based companies in the US.

I also serve on the selection Committee of the Nutrition Capital Network, the leading investor circle for nutritional & health-wellness industries.

For almost 30 yrs I have been the CEO and Founder of nFF INVENTIONS LLC, which specializes in developing & manufacturing break-through unique products that provide significant new consumer benefits & value at much lower costs. I selectively work with leading clients on high-stakes hard to solve problems. Clients include Taco Bell Corp, E & J Gallo Winery, Mars Symbiosciences & Heliae Corp.

Recently I was the CTO & Co-founder GoFit FOODS.

My industrial career began at Nestle, where I spent 16 years.

As head of LINOR (Nestlé’s largest New Product's Development Center) I led the development of a significant number of Nestlé’s commercially successful new products around the world. With a dedicated team of 250 associates, LINOR, handled the entire product development process from conception to commercialization. Breakthrough products included: Water Decaffeination of Coffee; instant coffees; cereals and fermented products.

Prior to Nestle I was an Assist Prof of Chem Eng at MIT specializing in water desalination and pollution control..

Born in Africa I studied for my doctorate at MIT thanks to a Fulbright Scholarship.

Seasoned Financial and Operations executive with manufacturing and software background. Proven track record of creating value in multiple environments: public and private companies; turnaround, steady growth and start-up.

Managed a broad range of operational areas: Finance/Accounting, HR, IT, Strategic Planning, Professional Services.

Specialties: Public and private companies, mergers and acquisitions, broad operational experience

Robert Estes is a Chief Information Officer at Califia Farms and is based in Los Angeles, California. He has worked as Manager IS/IT at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Chief Information Officer at quest nutrition, and Director of IS/IT at Desert Sea Estate. Robert studied at Sonoma State University.

Sandeep Patel is the President and CFO at PopSockets . Sandeep Patel attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology.