Megan Beck

Director, Commercial Banking at BMO

Megan is a trusted advisor to beverage, food, and consumer brands, with deep expertise in financing, structuring, and underwriting. Since 2007, she has supported manufacturers, distributors, and retailers by delivering customized financial solutions across complex, interconnected supply and distribution networks.

Through a highly collaborative, client-centered approach, Megan facilitates access to specialized industry expertise, market insights, and tailored capital solutions. She is recognized for her ability to deliver certainty of execution and for helping clients achieve sustainable, long-term growth through disciplined strategy and thoughtful counsel.

Adam Biggs

Vice President of Sales at Nova Naturals

Adam Biggs is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with over 15 years in leadership roles in the natural foods industry, specializing in brand building, product innovation, and multi-channel growth. A Santa Rosa native born and raised, Adam has deep roots in the natural foods industry as well as within the Northern California community.

As Vice President of Sales for Nova Naturals, a division of Novamex, he oversees strategy and execution across all major trade channels for a portfolio exceeding $100M in annual revenue. Adam also continues to steward the C2O Coconut Water brand following its acquisition by Novamex, guiding its ongoing growth after helping build it from inception into a nationally recognized category leader.

Earlier in his career, Adam was a founding member of C2O Pure Coconut Water, scaling it into the #1 shelf stable coconut water in the natural channel where it continues to be the category leader at Sprouts and many major retailers across the country. His experience leading teams, launching innovative products, and expanding brands across Whole Foods, Sprouts, mass retail, and club channels gives him a practical, founder-friendly perspective on what emerging companies need to thrive.

Adam currently runs the NNC Sales Forum

Adam earned his MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and completed the Food Industry Executive Program at USC. He lives in Santa Rosa with his wife and three children, and enjoys mountain biking the Sonoma County trails.

Having benefited from mentorship and support early in his own entrepreneurial journey, Adam is passionate about giving back to up-and-coming natural food and beverage brands. He is committed to helping founders navigate growth, avoid common pitfalls, and accelerate the success of mission-driven companies across Northern California.

Mirek Boruta

Senior VP and General Manager, North America at Enervit

Mirek Boruta has spent over 20 years building and scaling commercial engines for globally recognized CPG brands — including Feastables, Clif Bar, and Danone — owning P&L, international expansion, and distribution strategy across 30+ markets and four continents. He currently leads North American expansion for Enervit, a global sports nutrition brand, and serves on the board of Naturally Bay Area, advising emerging brands on commercial strategy and growth.

Outside of work, Mirek is a husband and father of two who lives what he sells — a runner, cyclist and tennis player with a genuine passion for the outdoors and a commitment to eating healthy and sustainably for himself, his family, and his community.

Pete Brennan

President of Innovation at Mattson

An experienced CPG Executive with a love for building brands and a drive to positively impact communities through natural & organic mission-driven businesses that inspire a shift forward in the food system and the world around us. Pete currently sits as Chair of the Naturally Bay Area board and brings 20+ years of Consumer Packaged Goods experience to his role as Vice President of Innovation at Mattson.

Having worked and learned at small and large companies like Kellogg’s, Foster Farms, Del Monte, Zola, Purely Righteous Brands, and the E. & J. Gallo Winery – he has led & developed iconic food & beverage brands including Kashi, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger, Eggo, Foster Farms Fresh Chicken, and most recently his own husband-wife startup, Soñar! Organic Grain Free Tortilla Chips. When Pete isn’t working or talking natural products, you can find him riding one of his bikes or teaming up with his wife to chase after their daughters on the soccer field or around the house in Oakland, CA.

Kristel Corson

Chief Marketing Officer at Traditional Medicinals

Kristel joined Traditional Medicinals in 2022 as their Chief Marketing Officer to focus on building the brand for its next phase of growth, rooted in purpose and delivering high-quality, medicinal products that harness the power of plants and their many wellness properties. Prior to Traditional Medicinals, Kristel spent more than 30 years helping beloved brands like Clover Sonoma, LeapFrog, Jamba Juice and Clif Bar & Co. meet or exceed business objectives through a combination of innovative new product launches, strong retail presence and marketing programs that create positive, lasting consumer connections.

In her last role at Clover Sonoma as Chief Revenue Officer overseeing Marketing and Sales, Kristel led the transformation of the brand from a values-based regional brand to a national, conscious consumer brand through mission driven branding and innovative new products. Corson championed Clover Sonoma’s B-Corp certification as a way to align the business with its care for people, the community, and the planet. A key focus for Corson was packaging sustainability and product innovation.

Under her leadership, Clover launched the first fully renewable plant-based milk carton in 2020 and the first gallon milk jug with 30% post consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in 2022. In 2022, the company launched Clover Sonoma Moon Milks, its first product line to go national and win a 2022 Nexty Editor’s Choice award for its Golden Moon. Kristel earned a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from San Francisco State University. She lives in Sonoma County with her husband and two children and proudly supports her community as a Bay Area native.

Alexandra Crane

Senior Brand Director at Grove Collaborative

Alex Crane is an early Grove Collaborative employee who joined the team to build their Grove Co. brand. Over the past 10 years, she’s led product development, innovation and supply chain through going public, moving to omni-channel distribution and committing to moving Beyond Plastic.

Alex loves to keep her finger on the pulse of trends / new technology and has increasingly encountered new entrants in AI with a focus on CPG. She’s excited to share how these companies can help CPG brands operate more effectively and efficiently.

Anna Dair

Founder and Principal at Confit Consulting

Anna Dair is the founder and principal of Confit Consulting. She leverages over two decades of foodservice industry experience guiding businesses toward success in this dynamic market. 

From scaling established CPG brands to revitalizing startups, Anna has worked directly with chefs and culinary professionals for more than 20 years. She excels at developing and implementing comprehensive go-to-market strategies and optimizing sales organizations to drive revenue growth. 

Anna served as Director of Business Development at the renowned organic dairy manufacturer, Straus Family Creamery, where she developed the vision and strategy to build the foodservice business from the ground up, and grew the business nearly 10-fold from inception. She has also held sales leadership positions at Ground Control, a coffee equipment manufacturer, and Niman Ranch Meat company. 

With a deep understanding of distribution channels, key industry players, and emerging trends, she partners with clients to unlock their potential in the foodservice sector, delivering tailored solutions and driving significant revenue expansion. She holds a B.S. in Labor Relations from Cornell University.Anna has had a lifelong love of food and cooking, and resides with her husband and son in Oakland, California. 

David Davick

CFO at Propeller Industries

David Davick is a Managing Director at Propeller Industries, where he leads the Consumer and Transaction Advisory practice areas. Propeller is a strategic finance partner to dynamic, early-stage and high-growth companies, providing the flexibility and tailored support needed to accelerate growth.

With over 25 years of experience in Investment Banking, Corporate Finance, Investor Relations, and Public Accounting, Dave has served as CFO and transaction advisor to more than 100 CPG and Technology clients since joining Propeller in 2016. Previously, he spent over a decade at Gap Inc., including leading its Investor Relations program, which was ranked #1 in the industry in Institutional Investor magazine’s 2015 survey of Buy-Side investors. He began his career in Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan (then Hambrecht & Quist) and in audit and advisory services at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Dave serves on the board of Naturally Bay Area and the advisory boards of Tribetic and HomeRunIQ. He holds a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Virginia, where he also taught in the undergraduate business school.

Outside of work, Dave and his wife, Natalya, report to their board of directors: their son, Felix, and daughter, Sasha.

Mario DiFalco

Founder at Illuminate Growth Partners

Seeing a gap in the industry, Mario launched Illuminate Growth Partners to provide senior-level strategic expertise without the high costs and slow ramp-up of large agencies. His consultancy helps food and beverage brands scale faster, with agility and precision.

Mario is a proven leader in food & beverage innovation, known for driving category-defining growth. From startups to global brands, he has led PowerBar, JOYBA Bubble Tea, Keen Footwear, and Del Monte through transformational expansion—building brand equity, unlocking new categories, and scaling distribution.

Bringing a classically trained CPG marketing skillset and an entrepreneurial mindset, Mario works closely with brands to refine growth strategies, develop innovation pipelines, optimize brand positioning, and accelerate go-to-market execution. Mario has built a reputation as a trusted partner for brands looking to bridge the gap between early traction and sustainable, long-term success.

Serves on the NNC Education Committee.

Jamie Emerson-Heery

Partner at BPM LLP

Jamie Emerson-Heery is a CPA and works as a Partner at BPM LLP. He has over ten years of experience in public accounting. His experience includes working with companies in a variety of industries in the public and private sector including winery and vineyard land, food and craft beverage, investment banking, investment funds, real estate and manufacturing. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of San Francisco. He was recognized as a winner of the North Bay Business Journal’s Forty under 40 in 2016 and was recognized as one of ten North Bay Accounting Leaders You Need to Meet in 2019. He is also a member of Leadership Santa Rosa Class 35.

Lynn Graham

Hustle & Flower

Lynn Yako Graham founded, scaled, and exited Beekeeper Marketing, an agency that helps natural and organic foods reach their potential on Amazon and other online retailer platforms. While at Beekeeper, she built a data analytics platform that ingested Amazon data and provided actionable insights for her clients and company. Prior to founding Beekeeper, she led brand marketing initiatives at natural foods companies, was a tech product manager, and was a strategy consultant. Lynn has a BA in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Haas Business School. She loves to play tennis, is a mom of boys, and loves hip hop.

Dave Hirschkop

Founder of Dave’s Gourmet

I am a trained coach and mentor at ICA and SKU, who founded and exited two food companies. Also, I currently help create educational content for the Specialty Food Association (where I am in their Hall of Fame) and Naturally Bay Area. I founded, operated and successfully exited Dave’s Gourmet, a gourmet sauce company that won dozens of awards, gained enormous media coverage, and reached millions of consumers by selling to thousands of stores.