Amy’s Kitchen CEO departs Sonoma County company; founder returns to top role

Xavier Unkovic, who for four years served as Amy’s Kitchen’s top executive — first as president, then last year also as CEO — has left the Petaluma-based company, Amy’s announced this morning on LinkedIn. He departed at the end of April, the company said.

Andy Berliner, founder and former CEO of the food-manufacturing family business, has resumed the CEO position, Amy’s stated. Berliner most recently has been executive chairman.

According to the news release, Unkovic left “Amy’s to pursue another opportunity. The entire Amy’s team would like to thank Xavier for his contributions over the last four years. His impact on the business has been significant and will last a long, long time.”

Amy’s on Tuesday morning declined to state specifics about the company Unkovic has joined until it’s publicly announced.

Unkovic in May 2017 was named president of the Berliner business, which also includes wife, Rachel Berliner, the couple’s daughter, Amy — for whom the company was named — and her husband, Jace.

Unkovic was elevated to CEO of Amy’s in August 2020.

In a March 27, 2021 story how businesses in the food industry were faring a year into COVID-19, Unkovic told the Business Journal that Amy’s had “faced some of the greatest challenges in our company’s history. We worked tirelessly to keep our front-line employees safe while continuing to cook food for the many people who depend on us for it.”

Further, he stated the company has seen “unprecedented demand for our products,” and in response, Amy’s opened a facility in San Jose that will primarily make its pizzas.

This story has been updated to include when Unkovic left Amy’s.