Beacon Advisors is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Kimmel to its Industry Advisor Council, further strengthening the firm’s capabilities within the food, nutrition, and consumer packaged goods sectors. Eric brings more than twenty-five years of hands-on leadership experience spanning manufacturing, product development, franchising, and strategic growth across North America and internationally.
Based in Montreal, Canada, Eric has built a career at the intersection of food manufacturing, innovation, and scalable operations. His experience as a founder, owner, and advisor gives him a practical, operator-level perspective that closely aligns with Beacon’s focus on advising entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, and growth-stage companies on complex strategic and capital decisions.
Eric is a co-founder and former owner of Noble Foods Nutrition, a leading energy bar manufacturer and co-packing partner to many of North America’s most prominent diet, wellness, and direct-to-consumer brands. Over more than two decades, Eric played a central role in expanding the modern bar category in the United States, helping brands respond to evolving consumer preferences around nutrition, functionality, clean ingredients, and fortification. Noble Foods was widely recognized as a premier manufacturing facility, known for its technical capabilities, quality standards, and ability to translate product concepts into scalable commercial offerings.
During his tenure at Noble Foods, Eric worked closely with hundreds of emerging and established brands, supporting everything from early-stage product formulation and R&D to large-scale production, supply chain coordination, and go-to-market execution. His work placed him at the forefront of key industry shifts, including protein innovation, functional ingredients, micronutrient fortification, and meal replacement formats. This exposure gave Eric a deep understanding of how consumer trends, manufacturing realities, and brand strategy intersect to create long-term enterprise value.
In addition to his manufacturing background, Eric brings extensive experience in franchising and multi-unit business models. Prior to founding Noble Foods, Eric was instrumental in building the Mad Science Group, an education-based franchise system headquartered in Montreal. As the company’s very first franchisee, Eric successfully built and operated a location in Toronto before acquiring the flagship Montreal operation. He later created and led the Franchise Support Department, helping the organization scale to more than 130 franchises worldwide.
In this role, Eric was responsible for developing franchisee support infrastructure, instituting a Franchise Advisory Committee, planning and executing semi-annual franchise conferences, and overseeing quarterly training programs for new franchisees. This experience gave him a strong foundation in governance, systems, unit economics, and stakeholder alignment, all of which are critical considerations for businesses preparing for institutional capital, acquisitions, or exit transactions.
Eric’s career also reflects a deep commitment to social impact through sustainable business models. He is a co-founder of Motherfood International, a social enterprise focused on addressing chronic malnutrition in underdeveloped regions by investing in and scaling existing local food manufacturers. Motherfood partners with companies that produce culturally relevant food products and supports them in fortifying those foods with essential vitamins and minerals. The organization now fortifies tens of millions of servings annually, aiming to improve outcomes for pregnant and lactating women and help break long-standing cycles of malnutrition and stunting.
Most recently, Eric founded the SKIE Group, an advisory firm that leverages his extensive experience as both a co-packer and brand partner. Through SKIE, Eric advises food and nutrition companies across North America on co-packer selection, manufacturing strategy, supplier relationships, and the implementation of internal Quality Management Systems. His work helps brands reduce operational risk, improve margins, and scale efficiently, often in preparation for growth capital, strategic partnerships, or sale processes.
As a member of Beacon’s Industry Advisor Council, Eric will work closely with Beacon’s deal teams and clients to provide sector-specific insight across food manufacturing, nutrition, and consumer packaged goods. His advisory focus includes operational readiness, manufacturing optimization, supply chain strategy, product innovation, and value creation planning ahead of capital raises, acquisitions, and exits. Eric’s perspective as a former owner-operator adds depth to Beacon’s risk assessment, opportunity identification, and support for management teams at critical inflection points.
Beacon Advisors continues to expand its Industry Advisor Council, adding leaders who have built, operated, and scaled businesses in their respective sectors. Eric’s combination of entrepreneurial experience, technical expertise, and advisory discipline makes him a strong addition to the Beacon platform.
We are excited to welcome Eric Kimmel to Beacon Advisors and look forward to the insight, experience, and practical guidance he brings to our clients and to the firm.