FRESNO, CALIF. — Sun-Maid Growers of California has named industry veteran Steve Loftus to the joint roles of president and chief operating officer. Mr. Loftus will replace interim president Braden Bender, who has served in the role since September of this year and will now return to the role of chief financial officer.

In his new role, Mr. Loftus will report to the executive chairman of the board, Harry Overly, and will oversee all functional areas within Sun-Maid, including daily operations, financial growth and long-term strategic goals.

“I’ve always admired Sun-Maid, and I’m excited to officially join the team as president and chief operating officer to help take the brand to the next level,” Mr. Loftus said. “In the new role, I plan to continue accelerating Sun-Maid’s transformation into a consumer and market-focused organization, while executing daily operations that contribute to the company’s growth strategies.”

Mr. Loftus joins Sun-Maid from TreeHouse Foods, where he most recently was vice president, general manager of the condiments business unit, leading the unit to approximately $1 billion in revenues across 12 product categories and 5 facilities. Before that role, Mr. Loftus was head of customer finance at TreeHouse Foods as well as senior director for a number of business units over his 10-year tenure. Earlier, he worked at Kraft Foods in finance positions.