21.2.2022 Press release
Gold&Green Foods’ Chief Innovation Officer and founder Maija Itkonen has been a pioneer in the plant-based scene. Now she is continuing her entrepreneur journey and moving on to a new innovation outside the company. Maija founded Gold&Green Foods together with Reetta Kivelä and Zhong-Qing Jiang in 2015 and has been the first CEO and Chief Innovation Officer of the company.

Chief Scientist and co-founder Zhong-Qing Jiang is appointed Chief Research & Development Officer presenting the Innovation function of Gold&Green Foods. He is one of the founders of Gold&Green Foods and inventors of the award-winning plant-based protein Pulled Oats®.​

“I want to thank Maija Itkonen for her strong visionary work, which transformed the idea of a perfect plant protein into game-changing product innovations. With her fearless attitude Maija led the Gold&Green international expansion and received many respected international awards. I also want to wish Zhong-Qing Jiang the best of success in his new role to continue to change the world one meal at the time with Gold&Green’s delicious innovations”, says Lenita Ingelin who is responsible for Gold&Green Foods in Paulig Leadership Team and Senior Vice President of Business Area Finland & Baltics at Paulig.​

Paulig acquired Gold&Green Foods in 2016 and since 2019 the company has been a fully owned subsidiary of Paulig. Gold&Green’s products have made millions of people happy in their home kitchens and as a menu item of restaurants across the world. The hero product Pulled Oats® is currently available on the retail market in Finland, Netherlands and Australia and sold in the food service sector in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Baltics, Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Ireland and the US. ​

More information: ​
Lenita Ingelin​
+358 9 3198450​
SVP, Paulig’s Business Area Finland

About Paulig 
Paulig is a family-owned food and beverage company, growing a new, sustainable food culture – one that is good for both people and the planet. Paulig provides all things tasty; coffees and beverages, Tex Mex and spices, snacks and plant-based choices. The company's brands are Paulig, Santa Maria, Risenta, Gold&Green, Poco Loco and Liven. Paulig’s sales amounted to EUR 920 million in 2020. The company has 2,400 passionate employees in 14 different countries working around the purpose For a life full of flavour. 
www.pauliggroup.com

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