The woman who runs New Jersey’s $60 million ‘Taylor ham’ dynasty is proving to be as mysterious as the contents of the Garden State delicacy.

Not much is known about the Trenton-based company’s owner, Ana Cumbler. She’s a virtual ghost online except for being listed as Chief Executive Officer in Taylor Provisions corporate filings. But despite her low-profile, she’s been making waves in the Garden State’s court system for allegedly creating a toxic work environment.

Since seizing control of the company as the sole owner after her husband passed away in 2022, Ms. Cumbler has sparked internal rebellion, bewildered competitors who’ve watched her every move, and now faces a barrage of legal fire — six separate lawsuits have been filed since August 2024 alone, according to a report from NJ Advance Media.

The widow’s rapid rise happened after a scandalous affair that set a split among the Cumbler family. Since taking the helm of Taylor Provisions, she has been accused of radically reshaping the 169-year-old company.

“It’s a Netflix movie. There’s no doubt about it,” a former Taylor employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to a non-disclosure agreement, said to NJ Advance.

To any proud New Jerseyan, Taylor Ham isn’t just the state’s breakfast meat of choice — it is a cultural touchstone that inspires fierce loyalty and endless “pork roll versus Taylor ham” debates. It makes the turmoil now surrounding the company even more notable, particularly given Ms. Cumbler’s reputation in some circles as a charismatic executive with ambitious plans for growth.

Under her leadership, Taylor pork roll prices have climbed sharply, raising eyebrows among longtime suppliers and devoted customers. Federal inspection reports document sanitary violations in recent years, a pattern former employees say has persisted. And since Ms. Cumbler took control, a steady stream of veteran employees has left the company — some fired, others pushed out under what former workers describe as increasingly difficult conditions.

But the most serious allegations involve surveillance. Three separate lawsuits claim she violated New Jersey’s wiretapping laws by secretly listening to employees’ conversations through security cameras she installed. Among the conversations allegedly captured: confidential union negotiations.

One of the lawsuits alleges the CEO as a “serial abuser of her power.”

“I think she’s going to destroy the name,” owner of local wholesaler Wenning Foods, Dennis Wenning, said to NJ Advance.

Ms. Cumbler’s assent to the head of the company happened on unusual circumstances. 

The stylish 39-year-old from Moldova had married Taylor Provisions president, 64-year-old George Cumbler in 2016 and when he died four years later, she quickly married her husband’s older brother Tony Cumbler. Two years later, he died from heart failure while going through treatment for a rare form of cancer and she quickly was in control of the family’s vast fortune as well as the company in June 2022.

Just months after inheriting her new role, Ms. Cumbler wrote to employees that it had been a “sad and tumultuous time” after losing both George and Tony over the course of two years.

“I trust that the strength of my commitment to the company and the brand will see us through to a bright future,” she said in the memo. “I am dedicated to the success of The Taylor Provisions Company through my leadership and team building.”

Employees believed at the time she had earnest intentions despite having no management experience.

“Then the wheels fell off,” a former worker said to NJ Advance. “Her true colors came out.”

A cascade of lawsuits soon followed, each more damning than the last. 

The allegations painted a portrait of workplace toxicity: harassment, illegal surveillance, and targeting of employees based on gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

Former workers describe it as a systematic misuse of authority.

“It’s a total s— show at Taylor’s,” one lawsuit filed in June said.

The initial legal challenge arrived barely 18 months after Ms. Cumbler’s letter to employees. 

In another suit, a longtime employee — an openly gay man in his 60s — accused her of repeated sexual advances.

Robert Kohler’s tenure at Taylor Provisions stretched back 42 years. He’d been a reliable, skilled worker, according to his August 2024 lawsuit naming both Ms. Cumbler and the company as defendants.

Starting in July 2023, she launched what Mr. Kohler describes as a pattern of unwanted sexual behavior, motivated in part by his sexual orientation. 

The Mercer County Superior Court wrongful termination filing details incidents witnessed by colleagues: commenting on his physique and announcing her desire to observe him from behind. She initiated unwelcome physical contact — massaging his shoulders, neck and back on multiple occasions. She also touched his leg through his pants and placed her hands on his chest.

“Look at you!” Ms. Cumbler allegedly said to him one afternoon as Mr. Kohler, who was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, headed out early for a medical appointment, the suit states. 

“What sexy legs you have,” she allegedly said.

Ms. Cumbler did not respond to requests for comment.

According to Mr. Kohler’s lawsuit, she had also eliminated the traditional summer and holiday bonuses for all salaried staffers without warning. The bonuses, which were previously given out twice a year, were in lieu of overtime, since many of the employees worked 50 hours per week.

In June 2024, Ms. Cumbler allegedly installed surveillance camera at the facility so she could spy on workers from her phone.

“Everybody there just feels insecure now,” a former employee said to NJ Advance.

 “Nobody wants to have a camera right on them every minute of the day.”