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Flowers Foods has appointed Michelle Lorge as president of Simple Mills, marking a leadership transition for the better-for-you snack and baking brand as founder Katlin Smith steps down from her CEO role.

Lorge will report directly to Ryals McMullian, chairman and CEO of Flowers Foods.

Smith, who founded Simple Mills in 2012, will remain involved with the company in an advisory capacity after choosing to step away from day-to-day leadership to focus on family and philanthropic interests.

“Michelle has been instrumental in shaping Simple Mills into the mission-driven, high-growth brand it is today,” McMullian said in a statement. “Her deep understanding of the business, strong leadership skills, and unwavering commitment to the company’s purpose make her exceptionally well-suited to lead Simple Mills into its next chapter.”

Lorge has spent more than a decade helping build Simple Mills into a leading natural foods brand. An 11-year veteran of the company, she most recently served as chief marketing, innovation and mission officer, where she led product development, brand strategy and sustainability initiatives.

Since joining the company in 2015 as one of its earliest employees, Lorge has played a key role in scaling the brand from start-up to a nationally distributed platform. Today, Simple Mills’ portfolio of crackers, cookies, snack bars and baking mixes is sold in more than 30,000 stores across the US.

Before joining Simple Mills, Lorge spent more than ten years at Kraft Foods, where she led marketing and innovation efforts for brands including Philadelphia Cream Cheese, A1 Sauce, Grey Poupon and Cool Whip.

“I am honoured to step into this role and continue the incredible work Katlin started,” Lorge said. “Simple Mills was founded on a belief that food can have a profound impact on human and planetary health, and that belief continues to inspire everything we do.”

Smith launched Simple Mills after identifying an opportunity to create packaged foods made with simple, nutrient-dense ingredients. Under her leadership, the company evolved into a prominent natural foods brand with distribution at retailers including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Walmart and Costco, as well as through e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

Smith has received several honours recognising her entrepreneurial success, including listings on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. 30 Under 30, as well as being named a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer.

“Building Simple Mills has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” Smith said. “Michelle has been by my side, shaping Simple Mills for many years and is deeply aligned with the mission and values that define who we are.”

Thomasville-based Flowers Foods is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the US, reporting $5.3 billion in net sales in 2025. The company operates bakeries nationwide and manages a broad portfolio of brands, including Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Canyon Bakehouse, Wonder Bread and Tastykake.