Freshpet will turn 20 this fall, and Scott Morris, the president and co-founder, is stepping off the operating side on Oct. 20, 2026. For the 18 months after that he will work as an adviser.
The company, listed on Nasdaq as FRPT, calls it a planned handover. The succession plan has been in development for several years, it said, as the Bedminster, N.J., pet food maker heads into its third decade with more than $1 billion in annual sales.
Baty steps up
Nicki Baty, now chief operating officer, becomes president and keeps her COO duties. She joined Freshpet in 2024 as part of the succession planning itself. Billy Cyr, the chief executive, remains her boss. In the larger job she will run commercial operations and the supply chain.
Morris’s innovation work moves to a chief innovation officer, a position created for the occasion.
One other change is already in force. Thembi Machaba, who leads human resources, takes on the chief administrative officer title as well. Her list now includes sustainability, community relations, property management, corporate security and key management processes.
What Morris and his partners built
Morris founded the company with Cathal Walsh and John Phelps, aiming to sell refrigerated pet food made from fresh ingredients. Freshpet has since become one of the five largest dog food brands in the United States. It runs three manufacturing kitchens and employs approximately 1,300 people worldwide.
Last year the company opened its Commercial Center of Excellence in Bedminster. Morris designed most of it. The building has environmental sustainability features, employee amenities and dog-friendly workspace, and it acts as a hub for commercial operations. Freshpet ties the project to its “Pets, People, Planet” philosophy.
Walter George, chairman of the board, spoke of the founder’s weight in plain terms. “It is impossible to overstate the contributions and impact that Scott has had on the Freshpet business over the past 20 years,” he said. He added that the board believes the company has “a very strong team” ready to keep growth going.
Cyr credited Morris with shaping product strategy, culture and innovation, and with assembling the team that will guide the next phase. He said Morris leaves the business in a strong position and will keep offering guidance as an adviser.
Morris said the aim at the start was a pet food business built on fresh nutrition, good retail partners and a workplace with purpose. “When we started Freshpet nearly 20 years ago, we simply wanted to build the kind of pet food company we wished existed,” he said. “Looking around today, I could not be more confident in Freshpet’s future.”
Walsh, a co-founder who is managing director of Europe, said Morris had a central part in setting the values and culture the company still follows. He said the foundation laid over two decades sets Freshpet up for more growth.
Freshpet sells its refrigerated food and treats, made to recipes from veterinary nutritionists, veterinarians and food scientists, in the United States, Canada and Europe. Channels include grocery, mass retail, pet specialty, club and digital, plus branded refrigerated displays and direct-to-consumer sales.
