MONTREAL — Fontaine Santé Foods, a plant-based food manufacturer of hummus, dips, salads, and appetizers, has hired Joe Ens as its new chief executive officer for North America. Mr. Ens was most recently CEO of HighKey, a maker of gluten-free and sugar-free cookies, crackers, wafers, and chocolates. 

Before being named CEO of Fontaine Santé Foods, Mr. Ens spent more than 20 years at General Mills, Inc. in various leadership positions helping grow brands like Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Trix. He also was vice president in the snack bars unit and worked with brands like Nature Valley and Fiber One. 

Mr. Ens received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Western Ontario and a master’s degree in business administration from New York University. 

“It’s exciting to join Fontaine Santé at this stage in its transformation,” Mr. Ens said. “The company has always made incredible products, and the Fontaine Santé brand is a favorite in Canada. Now it’s time to get consumers across North America reaching for all of our brands. We know there’s a desire to eat healthier, but who wants to give up on taste? By focusing on brand building, we can introduce more people to delicious foods made from plants and set the company up for its next phase of growth.”

Fontaine Santé Foods is owned by Arbor Investments, a specialized private equity firm that focuses on acquiring food and beverage related companies. Arbor acquired Fontaine Sante in November 2021.