Global plant-based ingredient supplier Green Boy Group is planting a flag in Charlotte, NC, adding a third U.S. office to its network and tapping food-industry veteran William Mabry to run it as Commercial Director – East Coast. The move positions the company to better serve food manufacturers and foodservice operators across the South and East Coast, markets that its Los Angeles and Chicago locations could not cover with the same speed and proximity.
The Hire
Mabry brings more than three decades of commercial leadership in the food ingredients sector to the role, most recently as Vice President of Atlantic Ingredients. In his own words, Green Boy's specialization in functional ingredients — sugar replacers, proteins, and fibers — and its secured global supply chain were the pull factors. "Green Boy is at the forefront of supplying added value and functional food ingredients," Mabry said. "I wanted to be part of the Green Boy leadership team and contribute to their expansion in the US in an impactful way."
For food manufacturers and restaurant supply chain buyers increasingly prioritizing non-GMO and organic sourcing, a supplier with regional commercial depth matters. Having a dedicated East Coast point of contact accelerates procurement conversations and tightens response times — a practical advantage as operators look for ingredient partners who understand regional distribution networks.
Why Charlotte
Founded in 2016 by Frederik Otten and Peter van Dijken, Green Boy already operates globally out of Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Sydney, alongside its U.S. hubs. Charlotte gives the company true coast-to-coast commercial coverage and, critically, presence in all U.S. time zones — a logistical reality that matters when ingredient sourcing decisions span international suppliers and domestic buyers simultaneously.
"Now we are able to cover the South and East Coast market more effectively for our customers," said Peter van Dijken, Co-Founder and Owner. Co-founder Frederik Otten echoed the sentiment, noting Charlotte enables the team to "better service our customers regardless of their locations statewide."
The expansion reflects a broader industry shift: demand for functional, plant-based food ingredients continues to climb as food and beverage manufacturers reformulate products to meet cleaner-label expectations from both retail and foodservice channels. Suppliers that can demonstrate supply-chain security and on-the-ground commercial relationships are increasingly preferred over purely transactional commodity brokers. Green Boy's six-office global footprint — and now its strengthened U.S. presence — is a direct response to that operator expectation.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
