MANAGEMENT BIOGRAPHY
PAUL JAGGI, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Paul Jaggi and his eleven siblings grew up under one small roof in Northern India. Even in the most difficult and chaotic of times, he remembers his mother doing her very best to prepare healthy, delicious food and make mealtime special.

Jaggi lovingly called her “Baji” (BAH-jee), a respectful term of endearment that means “mother” in many parts of India. He founded Passion Foods and created the Baji’s brand to spread his mother’s passion, and to bring unique world flavors to convenient, familiar products.

“My mom was a very sweet spirit,” says Jaggi. “I remember her singing while soaking lentils and grinding spices in our hot, small kitchen. With handfuls of fresh herbs, plenty of sweat and a whole lot of laughter, she always managed to provide all-natural and nutritious meals for all thirteen of us.”

Jaggi came to the U.S. in 1985 to join his brother in running an Indian restaurant in Framingham, MA. Back at home in India, Jaggi had gotten his MBA and ran his own industrial machine tools company. “While I knew a little about running a company, I knew a very little about food,” says Jaggi.

In 1991, and to support falling revenues from the family restaurant, Jaggi started packaging frozen Indian meals to sell to local health food stores such as Bread & Circus, which was later acquired by Whole Foods Markets. This was the beginning of the second largest frozen food company in the entire Natural Food segment.

In 1997 Jaggi and his team acquired two brands—Thai Chef and Bravissimo—and integrated them into the company forming the highly successful Ethnic Gourmet Foods. In 2001, Heinz Frozen Foods purchased Ethnic Gourmet Foods and Jaggi stayed on as general manager until 2004.

Jaggi currently serves on the boards of Rustic Crust, a New Hampshire based baker of Old World pizza crusts, and Putney Pasta, a producer of all-natural filled pasta.

He, his wife and their two children current live in Sudbury, MA.

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Press contact:
Elizabeth Horton de Meza
Ethos Marketing and Design
(207) 856-2610 ext. 240
ehorton@ethos-marketing.com