MGP Ingredients Inc., a big player in the production of distilled and branded spirits and food ingredients, has named Curtis Landherr as chief legal officer.

Landherr brings to the role over two decades of legal experience across a variety of industries. He joins MGP from Duluth, Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft, where he served as senior vice president and general counsel since 2014.

Landherr's areas of expertise include core competencies in litigation management, intellectual property, contracts and negotiations, insurance and risk management, mergers and acquisitions and commercial transactions.

Prior to Cirrus Aircraft, Landherr was vice president and general counsel for the North American subsidiaries of Dutch-based food and biochemicals company CSM—renamed Corbion in 2013. Before that, he served as assistant general counsel at Olathe, Kansas-based GPS company Garmin.

MGP CEO David Colo said Landherr's appointment coincides with a period of substantial  growth, with plans for future investments to support both acquisitions and organic growth.

MGP partners with startups and major brands to create whiskeys, ryes, bourbons, gins and vodkas.

The Atchison, Kansas-based company was founded in 1941 and has almost 700 employees.