When someone’s racked up 30 years across advertising, branding, marketing and corporate strategy, you’d expect a certain gravity. But Peter McGuinness, Bel North America’s new CEO, appears to carry the load of responsibility and expectation with ease. Perhaps that’s the air of someone who’s navigated complexity with clarity and got results; or maybe, the challenge ahead is compelling enough for excitement to overrule any doubt.
Either way, McGuinness’ strategy for Bel North America is deceptively simple: get those iconic brands and products into more hands and mouths, and make them more fun and alive in the process.
It echoes his approach at Chobani and Impossible Foods – both challenger brands that have now become mainstream fixtures in the dairy and alternative protein spaces, respectively.
But first: how did he end up at Bel?
“I know Bel – I grew up with the brand so I’ve always had admiration for the company. I’ve been in the dairy business so always had admiration for their products. We crossed paths with people from Bel [through] speaking engagements, Climate Week, and we just stayed connected and talked about how I could help.
“The more I dug into Bel and the more I discovered; a 160-year-old company, family-owned. It’s a beautiful history of democratizing cheese. So I really like the culture of the company – it’s a company with a mission. It wants to put better snacks that use real ingredients. Look at Babybel: it’s milk, cultures, and a pinch of salt.”
But therein lies the problem: Bel’s brands in North America are ‘sleepy’ and not as memorable, McGuinness suggested.
“As I look at the US, the brands aren’t as active and vibrant as they are in Europe,” he said. “The Laughing Cow in France ‘runs for president’ – it’s part of pop culture there. The cow’s in the Louvre; Babybel is everywhere. I want to bring some of that energy and that magic here. So, we are going to ‘unleash the cow’."
Where would he begin? New channels and expanded distribution would be a key early focus.
“We’re looking at distribution as opportunity within grocery, club, and mass merchants,” he said. “We’re there, but we could be bigger and better – and have more merchandising, more feature, more display.”
Also, foodservice. “We are very low on out-of-home,” he said. “When I was at Impossible, we were at Starbucks and Burger King, on Delta Air Lines. So out-of-home is exciting; it’s also great brand-building.”
Resources will also be pooled into product innovation, with the aim to increase household penetration and grow the brands’ consumer base.
“North America is a huge market; the US is massive,” said McGuinness. “And on face value, Bel has done a really good job. But when you look at the power and potential of our platforms, our products – being on-trend, having tailwinds – I think we’re a little underpenetrated. So that’s going to be an acute focus of mine.”
McGuinness hinted at a ‘robust’ innovation pipeline, starting with The Laughing Cow, Babybel and GoGo squeeZ – including flavour and format extensions and new channels to drive convenience and out-of-home purchases.
The idea is to improve access and thus reach more consumers across different age groups and eating occasions. Strategic M&A is also on the table.
So where would he like to see the business five years from now? “North America, double the size,” he said.
That’s rather optimistic, we said.
“But why not?” (The US is Bel Group’s largest market, generating around a third (33%) of sales; McGuinness says it’s close to 40% for the entire North America.)
“If we really push the marketing boundaries – bring joy, irreverence, cheekiness – that’s certainly going to help," he explained.
“And then, innovation under these platforms is going to give more people more reasons to consume those platforms. So, with that combination, I’m very confident that we can double the size.”
Bel is indeed on an upward trajectory: the company recently reported strong FY25 results against a challenging economic and consumer backdrop. Reinvigorating its brands in its largest market by sales could prove key to sustaining that momentum.
