Ontario, California-based Ajinomoto Foods North America (AFNA), a specialty frozen food manufacturer, recently announced the appointment of Dave Gardner as its president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Hiroshi Kaho, who has been promoted to executive officer and executive vice president, chief human resources officer for Tokyo, Japan-headquartered parent company Ajinomoto Co.
Gardner brings more than 35 years of food industry experience to the role. He served as AFNA’s chief supply chain officer since 2022, leading manufacturing and end-to-end supply chain operations across the company’s eight production facilities in the United States. Partnering closely with former CEO Kaho to translate longterm strategy into operational reality, focusing on establishing a people-first culture and building fundamentals, he led a cross-functional cost transformation initiative delivering $35 million in first-year savings while improving customer service.
Gardner joined AFNA from Amy’s Kitchen, the Petaluma, California-based natural and organic frozen foods company, where he served as chief operating officer. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Ingredion Incorporated, including vice president of North America Supply Chain and vice president of North America Manufacturing.
Gardner inherits a portfolio within strong categories across both retail and foodservice sectors. Frozen food retail sales in the United States exceed $90 billion annually, according to Circana data, with frozen snacks and ethnic foods among the highest-growth subcategories — running at +7% to +10% compound annual growth depending on segment, per Grand View Research.
Asian and multicultural frozen foods — a core strength of AFNA’s portfolio, which includes the Ajinomoto, Ling Ling, Tai Pei and José Olé brands — are consistently ranked among the top innovation drivers in both retail and foodservice, supported by expanding consumer demand for authentic global flavors, according to Euromonitor International and Innova Market Insights. That positions AFNA squarely at the center of where consumer demand is heading — across grocery, club, and foodservice channels alike.
“Dave is the right leader at the right moment,” said Kaho. “AFNA has built a strong foundation with a clear sense of purpose, and a portfolio that is uniquely positioned for where consumers are heading. Dave’s track record of building high-performing teams, integrating businesses at scale, and translating complex strategies into operational results makes him uniquely suited to lead AFNA into its next chapter.”
