CPG Veteran Kevin Stitt Joins Veetee USA to Lead Walmart & Publix Push

Veetee USA has appointed Kevin Stitt as its US Executive, a move that underscores the company's commitment to expanding its presence in the U.S. ready rice market. Stitt, whose career includes senior roles at Flora Food Group, BodyArmor, Coca-Cola, and Jack Link's, will spearhead the company's retail expansion efforts, focusing on securing shelf space at Walmart and Publix. His appointment is a deliberate step in Veetee USA's CPG expansion strategy, which includes full localized production at its North Carolina facility targeted for February 2028.

Stitt's experience spans multiple segments of the consumer goods industry, giving him a deep understanding of large-scale retail relationships, distribution complexity, and shelf presence growth. At Flora Food Group, backed by KKR, he navigated the plant-based foods market; at BodyArmor and Coca-Cola, he managed competitive beverage categories; and at Jack Link's, he dealt with snack foods. This diverse background positions him to engage directly with buying teams and supply chain requirements at major retailers.

"Veetee's product technology and manufacturing approach create a genuine point of difference on shelf," said Stitt. "The opportunity to build distribution at Walmart and Publix from a dedicated domestic production base is exactly the kind of platform I have spent my career preparing for."

Central to Veetee's retail pitch is its 10-Stage Steam Filtration cooking process, which uses open steam cooking rather than the retort pouch method common in the ready rice category. Retort processing, which involves sealing and heat-treating the product inside its final packaging, can affect texture and flavor. Veetee's approach cooks the rice separately and then packages it, preserving the grain's natural characteristics. The product is shipped in transparent clear trays ranging from 9.9oz to 10.6oz, allowing consumers to see the rice before purchase. This visual transparency is a deliberate departure from opaque or foil-based packaging, designed to communicate quality at a glance in fast-paced retail environments like Walmart and Publix.

The Selma, NC manufacturing hub is being developed as the operational backbone of Veetee's U.S. strategy. Full production at the facility is targeted for February 2028, a milestone that would give the company greater control over lead times, logistics costs, and the ability to respond to retailer replenishment demands at scale. Selma, located in Johnston County, sits within reasonable proximity to major distribution infrastructure serving the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, regions where Publix has a dense store footprint and where Walmart operates many supercenters.

Stitt's immediate focus will be advancing conversations with Walmart and Publix buyers, a process that requires demonstrating not only product performance but also supply chain readiness. His experience working within organizations that manage national retail distribution at volume is considered central to his role. The Veetee USA CPG expansion represents the company's broader effort to establish a foothold in the U.S. ready rice market using domestic manufacturing as a competitive lever alongside its differentiated cooking process and packaging format.