Built by Food Industry Insiders

Cris Gunter is a seasoned food industry executive, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor with more than 40 years of experience across food manufacturing, operations, sales, product commercialization, sourcing, and business development.

A graduate of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics, Cris began his career in food production before transitioning into sales and advancing to Vice President of Sales for an international frozen prepared foods and seafood manufacturer.

He later founded a sales and marketing company representing emerging food brands before building his own food processing company from the ground up. For more than 25 years, Cris led the business through virtually every aspect of food manufacturing and growth — from production, procurement, product development, and commercialization to national accounts, strategic planning, and customer development. He successfully completed the sale of the company in late 2025.

Today, through GB Food Group Consulting, Cris applies that hands-on experience to help food manufacturers, entrepreneurs, investors, and established brands improve operations, reduce costs, commercialize products, develop new markets, and build profitable, sustainable businesses. His approach is practical and results-driven: understand the business, identify the opportunity, develop the solution, and deliver measurable results.

Chef Brian Toothill is a Certified Executive Chef with extensive international culinary, foodservice, airline catering, product development, and commercialization experience. European-trained, Brian's culinary career has taken him throughout England, France, the Caribbean, and the United States, developing a broad understanding of global cuisines and food cultures.

After arriving in the United States, Brian continued his professional studies at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), expanding his expertise in Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Vietnamese cuisines, as well as sanitation, labor management, and employee relations. His career has included executive chef positions in hotels, restaurants, and the travel and airline industries.

Brian later served as Corporate Executive Chef for Gate Gourmet, one of the world's largest airline catering organizations. In this role, he traveled internationally and was responsible for culinary development and menu design for some of the world's premier airlines.

In more recent years, Brian has focused extensively on research and development, culinary innovation, and food product design for major corporations. His expertise extends well beyond developing products at the bench. He specializes in translating culinary concepts into commercially viable products — taking formulations from bench standard through scale-up, commercialization, and successful plant implementation.

Among the memorable highlights of Brian's career are culinary experiences with renowned chef Anton Mosimann and the opportunity to participate in food preparation and catering associated with Pope John Paul II and his entourage during a multi-city U.S. visit.

At GB Food Group Consulting, Brian brings the perspective of both an accomplished executive chef and an experienced commercial product developer, helping clients bridge the critical gap between culinary creativity, manufacturing practicality, and successful commercialization.

Daniel Garcia-Zabaleta brings over 20 years of finance and strategic planning experience, with a track record of managing large-scale operations across multiple industries and geographies.

He managed $72.17M in operations and $8.9M in CAPEX at Telefónica del Perú and Media Networks Latin America, delivering financial discipline and strategic clarity in complex, high-stakes environments.

His career also includes leadership and finance roles at Zara & Zara Home, Huawei, HSBC Spain, and Caja Metropolitana de Lima.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's in Banking and Finance from CEF, Madrid, complemented by advanced skills in ERP, SAP, QuickBooks, and Excel.

J. Brandon Wells is a Principal Equipment Designer and Packaging Systems Engineer with 20+ years of experience in commercial electromechanical product development, packaging systems, and automated equipment design.

A University of Georgia alumnus, Brandon holds 6 patents and has led multiple engineering departments before establishing his own independent practice over 9 years ago. His project portfolio spans some of the most recognized names in food and consumer goods manufacturing, including Kellogg's, Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Lance, Mars, Boehringer Ingelheim, Shearers, and Flowers Bakery.

Brandon is proficient in 2D & 3D CAD software including SolidWorks and AutoCAD, and brings deep expertise in designing for manufacturability — ensuring equipment is robust, practical, and built to perform in real production environments.