Will Lisman | CEO, The Honest Kitchen
Honest Kitchen CEO Will Lisman on scaling the original human-grade pet food brand, why Clusters is the first real trade-up from kibble, the cost reality of premium pet nutrition, manufacturing as a moat, and why he's building for 50 years — not for an exit.
Will Lisman joined The Honest Kitchen as CEO in the fall of 2023 after nearly two decades in consumer products. Today, he is focused on scaling one of the original human-grade pet food brands amid an increasingly competitive category.
You joined The Honest Kitchen in 2023. What drew you to the company?
I've spent my entire career in consumer products, going on two decades now. Earlier in my career, I had exposure to the pet category as a management consultant working with private equity firms investing in high-growth pet food businesses like Wellness and Nature's Variety. After that, I spent about 15 years on the human side of food and beverage, including nearly a decade at Hershey and then HumanCo, a health and wellness platform company.
The Honest Kitchen was really compelling because it was already a strong business with a tremendous track record and a pioneering position in the category, but it was also at an inflection point. There was still a lot of untapped potential, and the business needed to professionalize in order to scale. That combination made it a very exciting opportunity.
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