HARRISONBURG, VA. — Farmer Focus, a USDA organic and humane certified chicken brand, appointed Stephen J. Shepard to president and chief operating officer and Kathryn Tuttle to chief commercial officer.

“The promotion of Stephen and Kathryn furthers our mission to promote and protect generational farming while prioritizing animal welfare and growing the organic category as a whole,” said Corwin Heatwole, founding farmer and chief executive officer of Farmer Focus. “We are excited to continue developing our team and leveraging their experience to grow our business and network of family farmers.”

Shepard most recently served as executive vice president of operations at Farmer Focus. He brings over 16 years of experience in poultry processing operations. In his new role, Shepard will focus on increasing production capacity while reducing the company’s greenhouse gas footprint.

“I am excited to lead our team as we service new and existing customers with the additional capacity from our 2022 plant expansion,” Shepard said. “Our continued growth is creating a positive impact for our retailer partners, our independent family farmers and our planet. For that, I am incredibly proud.”

Tuttle joined Farmer Focus in 2020 as chief marketing officer. She brings over 20 years in marketing and commercial strategy experience. In her expanded role, she will oversee sales, marketing and new product innovation.

“Addressing the changing needs of consumers is more critical than ever to help our retail partners win,” Tuttle said. “Our team is stronger than ever and poised to increase value for both our consumers and retail customers. Our teams understand what value means to the modern poultry consumer and are attracting loyal consumers to the organic category.”

The appointments were announced along with the company’s news of a retail expansion. Farmer Focus is expanding its product line chainwide into Publix and through a new partnership with Safeway in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Adding 750 stores in the fourth quarter of 2022, Farmer Focus will now be available in over 3,100 stores throughout the East Coast and Midwest, including at retailers like Kroger and Harris Teeter.