Ep. 225 - Product Development Tips to Solve Startup Challenges with John Frelka, Food Scientist at Prime Roots

Prime Roots is an innovative alternative meat company in the Bay Area that just launched a bacon made out of Koji, the same stuff that ferments soybeans into soy sauce

Being in the alternative meat circle in the Bay Area, I’ve been pretty much in touch with the Prime Roots team since the beginning. They are a really fun, quirky group of young scientists and entrepreneurs so I get along with them well and that’s why it was a delight to finally interview John Frelka, their food scientist on the show.

John is very active in the Food Science community. His involvement in IFT in college focused mainly on food science communication including telling Food babe to stop spreading misinformation and setting up the popular page, Don’t Eat the PseudoScience.

He also founded a group called Citation Needed in Ohio State and when I went there to do a seminar about podcasting, people always mentioned if I knew John which shows the impact that he has there.

John and I dive into a lot of subtle tricks and tips on how to explore the unknown with the tools you have. Since both of us are in young startups with a lot of IP and never enough resources, this comes up regularly so we discuss some helpful tips to help you solve hard problems.

If you’re a student, you’ll also hear first hand how both John and I were involved in IFT and how Product Development Competitions and how that specific skillset allows us to excel in the startup environment

You can find Prime Roots products in select Bay Area stores. Email prime roots for more information. We have their email on the show notes but you can also just google them.

Show Notes

The Ohio State Citation Needed – Group about communicating food science Open Letter to the Food Babe at the IFT blog Don’t Eat the Pseudoscience IFT Communicator’s workshop Vani Hari’s new company trouble with heavy metals What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I’m a  food scientist at a new startup that uses fungal sorce Prime Roots launches valentines bacon Vegan friendly ready to eat meals We use Koji in our products. We harvest the cells How did you study this?: It can be difficult because there’s so little information and it’s so new I learned on the fly. I first went to the literature, and second is talking to people in the space or expertise in the industry Do you have a specific process when mimicking meat?: You have to think of the point B and you have to think of everything. Take it piece by piece. One day the color, one day the flavor, etc A lot of the tests are a bit of trial and error. Sometimes you need to find out what needs to be achieved. Look up the properties. Sometimes it’s all about communicating to the right people How did you find out about food science?: My mom has been in the food industry my whole life I went to UC Davis for undergrad In food science, you’re learning about all of the sciences What made you want to pursue your PhD?: Big food companies only wanted PhDs. I got my Masters first and then went to Ohio State to get my PhD Dr. Linda Harris Dr. Dennis Heldman Why move back to the bay area?: The Bay Area is really nice. Also my family is here I believe working at startups gives you a faster experience curve than a bigger company UC Davis Brewing Club actually posted the job for Prime Roots My Food Job Rocks: It’s exciting to be in a startup that can solve sustainability issues Food Trends and Technology: There are so many really amazing food scientists working on alternative meat products Feeding Tomorrow 2050 The biggest challenge the food industry has to face: How do we make food in more efficient ways? As consumers, reducing meat even somewhat 1-2 meals a week can make a huge impact. As manufacturers, reducing waste is important. For example, upcycling foods Regrained Renewal Mill IFT Next Award The Tofu Manufacturer that works with Renewal Mill One thing in the food idsutry you’d like to know more about?: More about the equipment How do you learn more about machinery?: I actually learn a lot about machinery from trade shows. If you describe a goal or process, it might help you meet that Recommended Trade Shows?: IFT Expo, IFT Section Supplier Nights What are some resources that you use in your job?: Actually google searching. Trade Organization Websites for example are really useful Good Food Institute Association for Morticians What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the food industry?: If you’re interested in anything food-related, just apply to those jobs. You can be a marketer or scientist. To get knowledge, invest into IFT webinars UC Davis Food Tech Club What events did you do for IFT?: Product Development Competitions. As a student, when you’re in  school, you don’t have the option and this is the most useful one Most organizations do product development competitions and each has a different twist What did you learn when creating Citation Needed?: Even if you have the evidence, how do you convince people about science? It’s about the stories. You can’t convince someone if you say they’re stupid. People are unfortunately distrustful of established people versus students. Which is a problem twitter: @madfoodscience  LinkedIn: John Frelka

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