Manoj is a food industry entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience building clean-label, scalable manufacturing platforms across the U.S. and overseas. As Co-Founder of Virginia Park Foods, the U.S.'s leading gluten-free pasta manufacturer, he helped power the national retail growth of Banza, now stocked in 30,000+ stores.

Previously, he served as COO at Caesar’s Pasta, where he led operations, supply chain, and innovation for one of North America’s top frozen Italian food brands.

His core strength lies in co-manufacturing (COMAN) strategy and execution. He has extensive experience identifying, negotiating with, and managing COMAN partners across categories – helping brands find the right operational fit based on product type, scale, certifications, technical capabilities, and long-term growth plans.

He has advised numerous food companies on:

• Build vs. Buy analysis (own facility vs. outsourcing)

• ​COMAN matchmaking (finding the right partner in North America, India, or globally)

• Line design, throughput optimization & automation

• CapEx planning and plant set-up

• Scale-up strategy for startups transitioning from pilot production to full-scale commercial runs

Whether you're an emerging brand looking for a COMAN, a growing business ready to build your own facility, or a fund/operator evaluating acquisition targets, he can help de-risk your manufacturing decisions and create a scalable, quality-driven production platform.