Barfresh Food Group Inc. announced the appointment of Marc Panvier and Tim Trant to the Company?s Board of Directors, both effective April 1, 2026. Mr. Panvier, Senior Vice President of Operations, North America for Bel Brands, succeeds Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet, who is retiring from the Board after nine years of service. Mr. Trant fills the seat left vacant by the resignation of Justin Borus.
It is anticipated that Mr. Panvier will serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Mr. Trant will serve on the Audit and Compensation Committees of the Company?s Board of Directors. Mr. Panvier currently oversees dual responsibility for dairy and fruit operations across Bel/Materne at Bel Brands USA, a subsidiary of Bel Group, managing six manufacturing plants in the United States and Canada. Like his predecessor Ms. Ortiz-Cochet, who served as Chief Investment Officer for Unibel, parent company of Bel Group, Mr. Panvier brings extensive experience from within the Bel organization, ensuring continuity in Unibel?s strategic partnership with Barfresh.
His appointment comes as Barfresh transitions to an integrated manufacturing model following its strategic acquisition of Arps Dairy and the ongoing expansion of its 44,000 square foot state of the art facility in Defiance, Ohio. With over 35 years at the Bel organization, Mr. Panvier has built an exceptional track record of operational excellence across global markets. He has expanded Bel?s manufacturing footprint into Poland, Vietnam, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Czech Republic, Ivory Coast, and Ukraine, managing existing plants and building production facilities from the ground up.
His expertise spans LEAN manufacturing implementation, industrial P&L management, production optimization, quality control systems, and facility design that meets international standards. Mr. Panvier holds a master?s degree in food engineering sciences and executive management from the Université de Technologie de Compiègne and began his career with Danone before joining Bel Group in 1990. Mr. Trant brings over 28 years of experience in the beverage industry, with deep expertise in sales, operations, and foodservice across North America.
He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottler, Inc., PepsiCo?s largest independent bottler, a position he has held since October 2020. Previously, Mr. Trant served in senior leadership roles at PepsiCo, including Senior Vice President of Field Foodservice for PepsiCo North America, where he led a team of 900 sales professionals and expanded sales across 20 foodservice channels and hundreds of thousands of customer outlets. His extensive PepsiCo career also included leadership positions such as SVP Foodservice Integration, SVP PepsiAmericas Foodservice, VP Retail Sales & Sales Capability, and VPGM of the Tristate Division in Cincinnati.
Mr. Trant previously served as Chief Customer Officer at Barfresh from June 2015 to December 2019, playing a key role in the company?s growth. Since December 2019, he has continued to serve as a consultant to Barfresh. He also held the position of Corporate VP National Sales at Sysco, Inc.Mr. Trant earned his bachelor?s and master?s degrees from the University of Dayton and currently serves on the boards of the Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Association (PCBA), American Beverage Association (ABA), and Dr. Pepper Bottlers Association (DPBA).
