My Food Job Rocks!

It’s been 2 years since Phil reached out to me when I was just starting My Food Job Rocks. After an interview, of course, we kept in touch. Through his period as the President of the RCA student association, to his job search, where he ended up in the famed upcycling startup, ReGrained. Who just got funded $2.5 million dollars last month. Moving back to California for my own startup, I kept on running into Phil because of the work we do at Kitchentown, a sort of shared production space for many startups. Seeing him zoom back and forth with his ReGrained swag, I wanted to interview him again, since so much as changed. I have this interview across the street at their warehouse, where ReGrained stores all of their products. Phil and I discuss the startup life and the challenges and rewards that come from it. One huge discussion that comes up is on how to use your mentors and resources to fill in what you don't know. After all, your friends have decades of experience and know what they're doing, unlike us. This is an amazing episode for food scientists who want to get into entrepreneurship. We as scientists think we really have to know everything to make the jump, but Phil and I are two examples on that there are ways to get through the parts you don’t know, with a little help from your friends. Lot’s of name dropping in the episode, but we’ve got you covered on the show notes. Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes Kim Schaub - Peas On Moss Phillip Saneski Episode 17 ConAgra Hannah Dresden and Hailey Bell - CuliNex Karen Diep - Beyond Meat ReGrained – Upcycling bar Editor’s choice of Supply Side West ReGrained’s Seed round of 2.5 million Barilla Pasta Equity Based Crowdfunding Campaign – 700 supporters. $700,000 Elliot Begoun from the Intertwine Group Kim Shaub Ali Bouzari - Speaker at the RCA Catherine Proper - RCA Larry Tong Sr. Scientist at McCormick Spices RCA board What does Innovation mean to you?: How can we turn historically wasteful ingredients to a new supply? We need to streamline better Ethan Brown-CEO of Beyond Meat: Sometimes people want innovation on their iPhone, they don’t want it in their mouth. Woodside, CA called the Village Pub Garde Manger - Protector of Salads AQ 7th and mission in San Francisco Modern California in 2014 Granada Bistro Bob’s Walbread in Los Alamos Rachel Zemser Research Chef Association Food Waste Production Development Competition Griffith Foods Foodbytes Terra Accelerator North taste Ingredients (Sea Food Concentrates) Open IDEO Food Waste Alliance Rockafeller Foundation Waste with Anthony Bourdain Phil and Dan met in IDEO Jordan Schwartz Danielle Gould – Food is a labor of love. When she tasted a food, it tasted so good then she sees the founder and she’s like “oh wow” Why does your food job rock?: We’re one of the companies who are promoting upcycling in beer grains and we are making good food and great impact Forbes 30 under 30 Food Trends and Technology: Plant-Based Protein Innovation Onion article Nut Sweat One thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The regulatory. Especially for a waste ingredient How do you set up a sensory panel?: Talk to your flavor house Savannah GA has a restaurant called The Gray that has Grits like risotto Cheese cake dish with beat 3 ways Sorrel – fruit shaped like a heart Climate Action Summit Ali Bouzari book: Ingredients You can find me at Phil@regrained.com and also on linkedin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Foodgrads recently partnered with Taste Your Future and you might have seen Nicole Gallace do more video shoots and social media collaborations. Chelsey is the woman behind the scenes. Chelsey Walker wasn’t intending to join the food industry, in fact, she never thought she would do marketing and communications,  but through her friend in the dessage business, this changed. Chelsey helps me with some social media pet peeves like posting on a schedule and working with hashtags. In exchange, I inspire her to peruse her side hustle.   Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Like This Episode? Then You Might Like These two episodes talk about social media: Sophie Mendes Van Delft, Content Marketing Specialist for Restaurants Canada - Sophie and I have a great discussion on social media for Restaurants Canada Rachel Cheatham, CEO of Foodscape Group - Rachel and I talk about the right media to consume and what both her and I read, watch and listen to weekly.   Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living what do you tell them?: I’m a digital communications graphic designer I taught myself graphic design How did you teach yourself Graphic Design?: I took a few classes, but the internet and blogging courses are great. Just go to adobe creative cloud and practice Photoshop Illustrator Lightroom Tips from photos: Good photos take less work. What is Taste Your Future: A food and beverage Ontario initiative. The idea is that we’re building awareness in the food and beverage industry. Right now, there’s not a very good idea of the jobs around the industry. The new food jobs aren’t being filled and Taste Your Future is trying to raise awareness to tell the stories about the food industry. Buffer.io What is one misconception you’d like to dispel?: The food idnsutry has just as valuable jobs as engineering. These jobs are in food pay just as well. Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: I started as a Paramedic and hated it. Algonquin College Diploma in Public Relations Isabelle Docta – Taste Your Future How did you meet Isabelle?: Through horses actually. We met through the equestrian world. We do Dressage Dressage: A dance with the rider. It’s an Olympian sport How do you communicate better about yourself?: Be a human on facebook. Go to as many networking events as possible. Networking is more valuable than online communication How can you be the best in social media?: Be authentic and showing up. Answer things a lot. It’s just like getting a job. Just show up just like a job. Twitter is best for hashtags and so is Instagram What do you look for most in a job?: I’m trying to get side Hustle going with Social Media Management. Flexitarian/Reductarian Flexitarian cartoon How do you like working with Foodgrads: I love it! Nicole is awesome. We do a ton of video Unwrapped What type of food trends and technologies are really exciting you right now?: Every time I go into the food industry, I see something new Food Industry Social media trends: There aren’t many trends about the careers of it Ital Pasta Sticky Note Food Science/Nutrition stickynote cartoons What is the biggest problem in the food industry?: We are running out of people in the food industry and our job is to show awareness. Most factories are in rural countries in which young people don’t want to go there Favorite Quote: Surround yourself with people who are going to take you higher Favorite Book: Harry Potter fan Favorite Kitchen Item: garlic Press Best thing you’ve ever eaten: Some kind of cookies Garlic Ice Cream Any advice about getting into the food industry: Be open to every opportunity and connect with everyone working with you Where can we find you for advice if you want to be found?: You can message me on the taste your future page. Our biggest social media platform is Facebook. We just launched Instagram and I’m excited for that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supply Chain is one of the most complicated things in the food industry and managing 100s of ingredients that might need to be gluten-free, non-GMO, sourced in another country, whatever it is, you need documentation and database to help sort and store it. Many companies who are at this level rely on supply chain management software to manage all of their documentation. This is where FoodLogiQ comes in, a rapidly growing startup to help manage your mess of a supply chain. CMO Katy Jones and I have a great discussion on just why managing the food supply chain can be overwhelming, but also why it’s extremely important for people to manage it well. We also get into a good discussion of the ever-topical topic, blockchain and why blockchain might be the future of supply chain management, and talk about the rising trend of being authentic in the food industry, and how it relates to good marketing. As we all know, it’s getting more important. About Katy Since joining FoodLogiQ in 2015, Katy Jones has served as a thought leader within the food industry, providing insight and education on the importance of supplier management and traceability across the food supply chain. She has held various leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility at FoodLogiQ, including Vice President of Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, and most recently, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. In this position, Katy oversees all aspects of marketing and creates, communicates, executes, and sustains the strategic initiatives of the company’s cloud-based supplier transparency and traceability solution called FoodLogiQ Connect. Under Katy’s leadership, FoodLogiQ has consistently earned recognition and awards for innovation, performance and investor funding. Katy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in data marketing communications from West Virginia University. In addition to her membership in the Chief Marketing Officer Club, she is a 2017 recipient of the Triangle Business Journal C-Suite Award.  Katy is an avid runner, reader and foodie, and she cherishes family time with her husband and two boys. About FoodLogiQ FoodLogiQ® LLC is the leading SaaS provider of traceability, food safety and supply chain transparency solutions. FoodLogiQ Connect is the most comprehensive, data-driven software solution that enables supplier management, food safety compliance, quality incident management, recall management and whole chain traceability – all on a single platform built exclusively for the food industry. To meet mounting regulatory requirements and consumer demands for transparency, food companies are leveraging FoodLogiQ Connect to validate supplier compliance with food safety and act with confidence in the event of a food safety or quality issue. To request a demo, please visit http://www.FoodLogiQ.com/demo. Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Like This Episode? Then You Might Like These two episodes talk about blockchain! Mitchell Weinburg CEO of Inscatech - talks about the cons of blockchain because it will only work if people are honest before. Cesare Varallo Founder of foodlawlatest.com - He was the first person to answer my questions about blockchain. This was a year ago, when things were a lot more chaotic than they are now. Show Notes What does FoodLogiQ have?: Supplier Management, Traceability, Recall software  Tom Mastrobuoni When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I’m a Marketing officer for a food startup. Like FedEx for the food industry We just got our Series B. We grew out of our parent company and launched 3 years ago What does FoodLogiq do?: We are a SaaS management platform that helps manage supplier relationships Allows easy access to what products are approved and what is needed to be approved. FoodLogiq is specifically designed for the food industry because all things aren’t the same Features: Text to voice, on the cloud, Why is food a different supply chain?: Food is living and breathing and there are many factors that can be issues, The systems are also archaic How do you get documents and they don’t give it to you?: The platform runs a supplier through an onboarding workflow What is one thing you’d like to dispel?: Getting food on the table is really hard. Europe Non-GMO SGS IP preserved corn Advice for startups: Not become obsessed on what your job is or isn’t For new people, just listen to the customers for feedback Tyson Ventures How has working with Tyson benefitted you guys?: They are an amazing company. Very salt of the earth people. We’re now Tyson’s Supply Chain customer What type of food trends and technologies are you interested?: Plant based protein and the food industry’s focus on these things Flexitarian Market Blockchain: Distributed leger technology used to verify transactions. There are lots of opportunities in this space and a lot of companies are niching down on the trend ripe.io IOT Sensors Rapid Pathogen Sensing The main point of blockchain is traceability and a unique way of storing data Bitcoin The biggest challenge the food industry needs to face: Meeting the challenge between consumer needs for transparency and running a business There is a fine line between what consumers want to know versus what they don’t want to know What food is versus where food is and also the how What is one thing in the food industry you want to know more about?: I’d love to learn more about food marketing. Especially authentic marketing Who inspired you to get into food?: My son has a nut allergy and he inspires me to make a better food system. Food safety and food transparency is not competitive, it’s collaborative Can you give any advice to anyone in the marketing industry to go into the food industry: Be authentic and have a keen focus on being authentic on what your product means How do you attain knowledge that you don’t know?: You need to talk to people outside of your org. Depends where, but someone is always willing to share the knowledge Where can we gfind you for advice?: At katy@foodlogiq.com. Connect with me on LinkedIn. Why the Q in Logic?: The Q means IQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met Dan through Brian Chau, you might recognize him in episode 3. In the past couple of years, Dan has been slowly building this incredible, much-needed space within the Bay Area. Dan thought of Tinker Kitchen when he was in college. One of his class had a “Learn-by-Doing” workshop that he loved. Combined with his fascination with cooking, this dream was decades in the making. Having the chance to explore the space, you have food service equipment, so much table space, and any machine you can think of. From freeze dryers to centrifuges. We go into great detail on building this space, such as the challenges in construction, and the rewarding feeling of completing a dream. Tinker Kitchen is now open for business and the price you pay to play there is phenomenal. Check out their website at Tinkerkitchen.org and I hope to see you at Tinker Kitchen some day. Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Like This Episode? Then You Might Like These two episodes talk about constructing a food space Mike Mohammed and Randy Wyner, founders of Chronic Tacos - These two buisness owners talk about the tough beginnings of constructing Chronic Tacos and how they developed systems for franchising to make it so much easier. Julie Bernarski - Founder of Healthy Crunch Company -  Julie's team creates their products in house and their product requies a lot of attention becaus eof how fragile the kale chips are. See how she manages her team.       Show Notes Tinker Kitchen Brian Chau Phil Saneski How did you get into the food industry?: I came to the US to work for Mozilla Firefox in 2006, worked 12 years and then decided to open this kitchen How big is Tinker Kitchen?: 17,000 square feet. Tinker Kitchen is a makers space for food and cooking What got you the idea?: I took a class in biology and this professor had this class where we made biology models. it was a Learn by Doing process. I cooked as a hobby, at first I never knew how to cook so I had to call my mom when I had food Commissary Kitchens Part R+D member and part How did you find this space?: We looked around for a year What were the troubles of preparing the space?: Water, gas, city permits, and bad contractors which had to be replaced Fume Hood Advice for building a kitchen space: Spend more time in the planning stage and spend more on the planning space. Make sure you understand what needs to be upgraded The meta-advice is to find someone who’s done it before and ask for advice Learn from the Shoulders of Giants Wok Centrifuge McCormick Innovation Center 3D Printing Induction heating How did you know about this kitchen equipment?: Just asking around, going to blogs, and asking how things are made We have a freeze dryer A batch freezer A pacojet Eventually a Frozen Nitrogen document to add in frozen nitrogen Beyond Sausage Combi Oven Gastronomy Modernist Cuisine Reverse Spherification Sous vide What are the challenges the food industry has to face?: Creating a community around food and cooking The better food in a community aspect, the more tightknit the community is Outsourcing grocery stores What is something you’ve noticed between tech people and food people?: Food people are more diverse. Food people also have a different outlook. Tech people look for solutions, food people looking for community Fancy Food Show Expo West Expo East IFT Expo Taste is King Venezuela Hallaca – The Venezuelan Tamale Any advice for anyone about the food industry?: Think a few years ahead and go talk to people who have been there. The more you find out, the better. Rohini Dey - Vermillion Apprentice is a good step Where can we find you for advice?: Thinkerkitchen.org. Contact Dan at Dan@tinkerkitchen.org 3233 Mission St. 22nd Street and Mission Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soom Foods started 5 years ago, with one of the Zitelman sister’s boyfriend, introducing them to their family’s Tahini in Israel. One taste of this Tahini, convinced the sisters that it had to go to the United States, no matter what. 5 years later, chefs and influencers alike love the stuff, and it’s now popping up in East Coast whole foods stores. I personally got a ton of value from Shelby’s interview because as I started Better Meat Co, we are running into a lot of the same situations Soom Foods ran into. The questions I ask are quite timely, and hopefully, they’ll help you understand the complexities of a food business. I appreciate Shelby’s honesty in the interview and we go into things such as the risk of marketing campaigns, the complex sales channels of the food industry, and a lot of talk about the health perspectives of this seed based butter. About Shelby Shelby is the CEO & Co-Founder of Soom Foods, and is the oldest of the three Soom sisters. Inspired by her entrepreneurial family, Shelby graduated from the Wharton School with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Management. Shelby is responsible for developing the company’s strategy, managing the finances and accounting, managing the team and overseeing contractor relationships. She spends her downtime exploring kid-friendly Philadelphia with her husband, Dan and their two sons, Malcolm and Julius.  Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: I am a tahini saleswoman, I’m a food importer and distributor. I’m the CEO of Soom foods What does CEO mean to you?: I’m the captain of the ship and I direct where the ship goes. What’s the best part about being a CEO?: I love the opportunity to be a CEO What is something surprising to you about food?: The marketing costs were surprising. Especially in retail. Slotting or Coupons are also a surprising thing The return on marketing campaigns are a gamble, but it works when it works Advocacy and trusted influencers helped a ton for our business Describe the steps to where you are today: I studied entrepreneurship, went into venture capital (Ops) and then worked in a non-profit. My middle sister Jackie dated Omri, who’s family owned a tahini operation. Eventually, I asked to sell this amazing product over to the US. My two sisters and I started the business and we all have important skillsets It took us two years to get the tahini to the United States and that was a huge amount of work figuring it out No Business Plan Survives First Impact Is a business plan useful?: Yes, it provides a general framework What’s special about your Tahnini?: We get our sesame seeds from Ethiopia. The oil to meat ratio makes for a great butter What do people use the tahnini for?: Mostly hummus, however, drizzled on roasted vegetables or eaten with yogurt. We also have squeeze packs and they work great in trade shows and in portion control Do you label an allergen for tahini sauce?: Yes, seeds. We receive positive affirmation for being an alternative to peanutbutter or almond butter What is the most important skill you can have when starting a company?: Know who and when to ask questions. Due diligence and surrounding yourself with people you can count on How did you get your first sale?: We knew a chef and wanted some advice. So we had him evaluated the product, he tried it, and he instantly bought it. We can solve a lot of pain points using our tahini, especially on improving tahini output Why does your food job rock?: I really believe in what we’re selling is a good product. It’s so rewarding hearing our customers love our product. Tahini Sauce Chocolate Tahini Silan – Date Syrup What are the negative feedback you’ve gotten in your product?: Calories and fat. For us, we realize we can’t be everything to everyone. Any positive feedback from the keto community?: Not yet, but we are hoping to get more people to use tahini. We’ve worked with Keto bloggers and put our products in Keto boxes. Sometimes we get black specs in the product, and we have to explain to the customer that it’s natural What is the biggest problem in the food industry right now?: Food Waste and Supply Chain. One of the hardest thing for me to do is to throw away products. Even though we see poor people who can’t afford our food Sarah Ramirez Blockchain What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: the economics of a grocery store. How can they afford what they do? How are your online sales?: 80% of our revenue is food service, 20% is retail 15% Ecommerce, 5% Retail. We ask ourselves why do retail? Good distribution. JUST Foods Retail has a powerful brand effect Favorite Quote: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretski Favorite Book: To Kill a Mockingbird Favorite Kitchen Item: A corkscrew – for opening wine! Advice for anyone starting a food business: Retail and grocery stores are not the only way to sell food. Healthcare for instance, is its own world. How do you like working with your sisters?: Love it, we have different skill sets. We’ve all messed up and just said how we can fix it. Where can we find you for advice?:  Online, or Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met Bryson Bolton at the IGNITE sessions, a session where 5 new professionals were asked to present their path through food science. Bryson and I got to talking and I loved his enthusiasm so I asked him to be on the show. We have a pretty timely interview, as many listeners might have heard, La Croix is getting sued on their natural flavors. Bryson gives great insight into the world of sensory and consumer sciences that might allow you to understand how working with flavor houses work. Bryson is also heavily involved in IFT along with many other sensory organizations. You’ll not only get some great resources in the field of sensory science but also learn how Bryson rose up the ranks to become a well-connected, successful professional. About Bryson Bryson C. Bolton is the Manager of Sensory and Sample Collections at Synergy Flavors. He leads a team that strategically partners with RD&I, Quality, and the Commercial Team to integrate sensory understanding into the flavor and application design process. In this role, he also manages a team that selects and sends flavor samples to internal and external customers. Prior to joining Synergy Flavors, Bryson was the Sensory & Consumer Research Manager at Product Dynamics. There he provided leadership, guidance and insight on sensory and consumer research activities. He was a primary customer contact and served as a key client advisor and resource to many food, beverage, and ingredient manufacturers. Prior to Product Dynamics, Bryson was a Sensory Scientist at Kraft Foods, Inc. There, he provided sensory and consumer science support to the Grocery R&D Community and the Center of Excellence for Cheese and Dairy.  Bryson is an active IFT volunteer and is currently serving a three-year term on the Board of Directors. He is a former Adjunct Sensory Evaluation Instructor at Dominican University and is an active member in the American Society for Testing Materials, E-18 and the Society of Sensory Professionals.    NEW Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes Debra Zabrodil IGNITE Session When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you say?: I teach people how to taste. What is Food Science? What do you do?: I’m in sensory and sample collection as a manager. I work for Synergy Flavors Wauconda Illinois Sample Collection: Allows us to optimize sending out samples to customers. 10,000 of these flavors are on the shelf and allows us to quickly send to our customers. What is the best way to request flavors?: Ask an account manager. You must also know the claims, your budget, the price point for this flavor, shelf-life, processing, to help us choose flavors Maltodextrin Gum Arabic How did you find out about food science? I actually started to fall in love with it when I had to develop my own gelatinous sauces Bryson doesn’t like Cranberry Sauce, so he was able to make a pineapple and cantaloupe sauce. He did the whole process. I made Pantalope sauce! 9 Point Hedonic Scale Harry Lawless On Sensory Evaluation by Harry Lawless and Hildegard Haven Sensory Science is a multiple disciplinary fields. It combines psychology, physics, chemistry, etc Sensory Psychophysics Sensory Physiology Sensory Analysis – a branch of food science that uses human judges to measure the perception of goods Different stages of Sensory Analysis For example, different concepts of tests. For example, market research, comparison tests, description tests, there are so many tests in the sensory test Napping technique – Origin is from a Napkin technique Because Napping is 2 dimensional, it gets complicated For sensory tests and small companies, you have to work within your budget. How much do you want to mitigate risk? New Coke Scenario When you’re a big company, you are very risk adverse How did you get involved in IFT? I’m in my 2nd year for a 3 year term as a board of directors Alabama A and M University applied to the IFT scholarship. I won the scholarship and had no idea who they were. Institute of Food Technologists – Non-profit organization in 95 countries with 17,000 memberes. Mission is to advance the science of food. Western New York IFT section Sensory and Consumer Science Division - I was the content advisor Data Visualization Fundamentals of Sensory Course Adjunct Professor at Dominican University Riverforest Illinois Robert Grevani – Past IFT president Why does your food job rock?: I'm able to strategically partner with people within my organization 7 years to be a flavor chemist Methyl anthranilate – Concord Grape Flavor Flavor chemist is what makes organic chemistry make sense What type of food trends and technology is really interesting to you?: A year ago, I became vegetarian. Started as a meatless Monday and ended up feeling really good. I lost like 20 lbs. I noticed a couple of veggie patties are really good. More plant-based media is popping around Cognitive Dissonance Beyond Meat Biggest problem that the food industry has to face: Consumer fears of chemical foods How to fix this: read more scientific articles. Ask experts in the field What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: CRISPR – Gmo technology Clara Foods Favorite Quote, book or kitchen item: Quote: If you stay ready, you never have to get ready. My father taught me this. Kitchen Item: Batman shaker cup What protein shake do you drink?: Plant-protein shakes. Flavor is chocolate or peanut butter What resources would you recommend on learning about sensory?: There isn’t really one. Maybe I can start one What if you were a food scientist trying to get into sensory science?: There are plenty of short courses. Sensory short courses from Sensory software courses. IFT Society of Sensory Professionals Society of Sensory Professionals Conference Pangbourne Symposium Eurosense Conference in Europe LEEDS in Singapore UC Davis Short Course ASTM – American Society for Testing Materials- writes the standard for sensory templates Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry: If you like to eat, you should go into food science. I got my cousin into food science by giving her a pass to IFT IFT Expo has cemented being a food scientist for sure IFT19 is in New Orleans The next 10 Expos will be in Chicago Where can we find you?: Find me on linkedin and just contact me on LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a stint of being a comedian, Sara Polon started to spiral downhill and it wasn’t until she decided to do a triathlon, that she started to move her life around. But how did she decide to feed herself? With her mother’s soups of course. And that’s kind of how Soupergirl started. With constantly changing innovative flavors such as Split Pea Mint and Mexican Black Bean Sweet Potato and speedy delivery service, Soupergirl is growing fast. Soupergirl has been featured in the press multiple times and has critical acclaims of the taste and health benefits of the Polon’s family soup. Rumor has it, they’ll be appearing on Shark Tank very very soon. Check the show notes for more details. Anyways, super insightful interview with Sara Polon. I learned a ton about passion, motivation, and high pressure processing. A quick note, we talk about Alexa during this interview and while editing, Alexa added 5 apples to my shopping cart… NEW Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes James Altucher – Comedic Journey We want Soupergirl to be happy, fun and approachable Washington Post Article about Soupergirl When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I’m Soupergirl, I deliver whole food, vegan soup to the masses “Sara Polon is going to clean your colon” We rebranded the cleanse concept and put it as more on the meal If you eat four soups a day, you’ll eat less but you’ll feel more energized New and innovating flavors every week Beet Gaspatcho Peach Gazpacho We try to get traditional flavors and give them a twist Lay’s Do Us a Flavor Queso Chips Frieka Bulgar New flavors work when you pair something new to something old My mom cooked from scratch. We started this company because we saw how many things are low quality and had so many preservatives Why did you start Soupergirl?: After I stopped doing Comedy, I slowly slid to rock bottom. I signed up for a triathalon and paid attention on what I eat. Michael Pollan – Omnivore’s Dilemma We first started in the kitchen. I just invited people to my apartment. When we started delivering, we got press because we were authentic. We started catering, then selling to Costco, then ship How did you get a first customer?: We had a launch party. I asked 6 friends who didn’t know each other and they spread it their friends and it brought 100’s of people. The invite went viral and got forwarded to the press. Daily Candy – begged them to not get the scoop What is the hardest part of the business?: Growth is hard. You have to keep people interested, loyal and still have great quality What are ways to manage growth: Try to hire proactively. Some of the worst mistakes I’ve made was reactively hiring. For example, we hired a kid to deliver soup and he got a hit and run and didn’t tell anyone. What is the most important skillset you can have?: Leadership. You need to learn how to delegate. Do you have any books about leadership?: Actually. No. It’s more about people. How do you choose advice?: You have to be passionate about it. If you're not passionate about the business, the advice you take can destroy you. Passion will sort out the right advice Soupermeals Any stories about your soup?: One of our customers got her bloodwork done and the Soup meals gave her the best blood results Cancer treatments, harsh illnesses Parents use their soup for kid’s diets Food Trends and Technology: For trends, plant-based. For technology, clean meat High-pressure Processing (HPP) – Our gaspacho is HPP HPP increases shelf life from 10 days to 95 days HPP used in Hummus and things HPP can have your product explode your product The biggest challenge a food producer needs to face: If you have an idea and you want to cook something, there’s not a lot of shared kitchen spaces to try a product. There’s barely any guidance for this. You need a lot of physical assets that are hard to get. More people are getting sick in food because your food comes from everywhere Maker’s Space shuts down Cottage Industry Laws One thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The future. Things are changing so rapidly. The tension between retail, farmer’s market, so much technology is going on. Trends will boom, but there are niches that will never go away Coconut Oil Who inspired you to get into food?: My mother and Michael Pollan What’s your favorite kitchen item?: Just a knife and a cutting board. I also use my Vitamix. However, to make soup, you just need a knife and cutting board Food Mills Why are you closed on Friday and Saturday?: I’m Jewish and we’re a kosher company so I have to follow the law. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but I’m glad that it forces me to have a vacation How many of your customers are orthodox jewish?: A lot of my customers are not orthodox and vegan. Most of my customers just love good food. How do you like working with your mother?: I’m really lucky. My mom is so energetic How do you make vegan challah?: We make a water challah. We get it from a kosher bakery Any advice to get into the food industry?: Life is short, do it! Regret is the worst feeling in the world. Start small, don’t invest too much until you’re ready. You get to the point: Do this, or do nothing else. Every time I’ve had a Where can we find you for advice?: Our website. Just send me a message. Twitter: @soupergirl Supergirl Like This Episode? Then You Might Like Hugh Thomas - Ugly Drinks: Also exploding in the US, Ugly Drinks is a snarky, CPG brand that is just fun and enjoyable. I learn a ton about marketing from Hugh and this would give you the best steps to start small. Lisa Tse - Sweet Mandarin: Lisa heads Sweet Mandarin, a very popular restaurant and sauce line in the UK. It seems like in the restaurant world, press is king.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carrie Arndt is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to seeing the hidden reasons on why you buy things. And not just color, or a name, but it’s so much more than that. I first heard of Carrie when I saw her post aesthetically pleasing infographics that compare brands. These infographics show the importance of not just color, but font aesthetics, and shape. It’s amazing! I really want these pictures to be achieved and not lost in space so I asked Carrie if I could put them on My Food Job Rocks. So Carrie’s LinkedIn posts will be achieved on My Food Job Rocks in a special article subsection called, Carrie’s Corner. We’ll be introducing them on the My Food Job Rocks’ website just like we did Flavor Investigator and Why does this…. Series Overall, great, lighthearted interview. Had a lot of fun with Carrie. Though this was the first time I met her, I feel like because we know each other by our content, it feels like I’ve known her for a while. NEW Sponsor - FoodLabelPro.com Is your product packaging compliant with the new FDA rules?  The compliance deadline is January 1st, 2020. At FoodLabelPro.com we will upgrade your current panels for only $50. FoodLabelPro.com also provides package and claim reviews, laboratory analysis, shelf life testing, printer/graphics services, and menu analysis.   We are your one-stop shop for food packaging: FoodLabelpro.com. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Show Notes Pictures on Linkedin Fred Hart Honey Jar Picture Millenials super into beekeeping Mint Color Products When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do in a sentence or less?: I work with clients to help them launch products that will line up with consumer expectations Is it not only food?: I try and follow the food industry type product Though we do use household care clients, we do get a lot of food and bev space Market Research is not marketing Market Research is data Marketing is creating a story Marketing actually focuses on Market Research as it’s so integrated What’s something that you find really fun?: I love looking at data and finding hidden meanings. For example, 2 names scored the same, but looking deeper, we found that the name associates with the brand. PAC- Packaging When people assess products, they will not only do taste BUT EVERYTHING For example, picking up a product is a metric in analysis, not just color Bathroom cleaners-blue Food is generally – Red Brown Sustainable labels getting more colorful Why is this happening? Carrie: Because it’s noticeable, trendy, and interesting Adam: Natural is getting more mainstream, also RXBar did it, and they made a lot of money Where you got to where you are today: I majored in Political Science Carrie was at a Startup in Houston – Operations and Marketing I am in MMR right now and it’s the best company ever My first job in MMR was an entry-level position However, I worked hard and MMR asked about my interests, and I got to persue them What should someone need to do to get started?: An interest or background in market research. For PAC research, it’s broader thinking with a creative edge Tropicana New Brand – Failure. Even though it was on trend, the emotion fell flatNew Coke New Coke Failure New Diet Coke Success Expo East Expo West Food trends and technologies: Minimalist style products. High-fat products. Fat Bar by Zayne Bulletproof- Fat Water Fat Bombs Consumers need shortcuts Favorite Kitchen Item: Chopsticks. Even with soup and salad If you were to say something your first day in MMR, what would you say?: Focus and don't be afraid. How to find you: Through Linkedin - Carrie Arndt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to some unexpected delays, we’ll be switching our currently scheduled episode with this current one, a Q and A session that dates back all the way to IFT 2018. So, Mandy Jian, now president of the McGill University Food Science club, interviewed me live in IFT. She did a great job hosting, as she not only asked great questions but compiled a list of questions from other students. We talk a lot about how IFT can really help you, not only in college but when you start your career. Other questions like graduate school, and how to get a raise also pop up. If you’re a student, I highly suggest listening to this episode. You’ll learn about what we realized is important in college, and it’s not grades. Overall, I teared up a bit when editing this episode. Sometimes when you’re stuck in the weeds, you don’t really have time to look up and see who’s listening. So again, if you’re a long time follower of My Food Job Rocks, thank you. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Patreon Due to our ad cycle being over, we’re trying a different model for My Food Job Rocks. We have opened up a Patreon page! Now you can support My Food Job Rocks if you want to and the reward tiers go from a complementary career advice book to ad placement and more. We’d love for you to be part of the process. Visit Patreon.com/myfoodjobrocks Show Notes The common things most guests say: be passionate on what you do. Never meeting Nicole Gallace in person Meeting with guest Gabriel Keith Harris On Video: It's a big investment, and we want to make it good. Introvert: How to be Outgoing and Super Confident Mechanism: Say you’re excited when you’re anxious Purpose: How can I convince people on my message? Lion Dancing Gary Vaynerchuk Blue Ocean Grave Keeper’s Association Cactus IFT - IFT sections are the best way to get friends fast if you’re new to town Meetup.com Cal Poly Food Science Club Cal PolyFood Media or Global Food Tasters Club (I guess it's gone...) Diversity Advocate for Multicultural Center College advice: The only point of class is to impress the teacher’s ruleset Clinical Nutrition Class Food Science Club Polos On the best example of being consistent: Jessica Gavin Emerging Leader’s Network Varuze Asked: Grad School, to go or not to go?: For entrepreneurs, no. There are huge advantages to go to Graduate School.  Sapna Thontitali Emma from McGill: Have you noticed a gender pay gap in the food industry?: Guys are more likely to ask for a raise than girls Guys are generally more aggressive than girls when it comes for asking for a raise. There are a lot of biases when it coems to women and pay. Most are subconsciously cultural. Veronica Hislop asked: What do you see as the future of food?: Sustainability Flavor Investigator Series Impossible Foods Beyond Meat Most interesting episode: Tom Mastrobuoni Favorite Episodes: Missy Shaaphok Good Food Institute Series What's next: Susie Fogelson Big Questions Cal Fussman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

’ve always wanted to know the machine side of the food industry. How do people build these machines that can create thousands of pounds of foods today? I found the answer when I interviewed Matt. Matt contacted me after he finished listening to Good Food institute Series and I asked if we could meet up. I’ve done interviews at libraries before, after all, they’re free and quiet, so we found the best small room in Fremont California to belt out the interview. Here we have great tips on managing big projects and explore the most optimal way to get from concept to commercialization. Matt also gives some great tips on how to tackle big ideas using some smart strategies that you might want to apply to your work. Enjoy! Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Patreon Due to our ad cycle being over, we’re trying a different model for My Food Job Rocks. We have opened up a Patreon page! Now you can support My Food Job Rocks if you want to and the reward tiers go from a complementary career advice book to ad placement and more. We’d love for you to be part of the process. Visit Patreon.com/myfoodjobrocks Show Notes Fremont Library Would you consider yourself a food scientist?: Yes, now, but I’m a systems engineer by training How did you fall into food?: I used to work in medical devices and applied to a job on extruders. I never knew you could use extruders to make food. Only thought you could use it for rubber or plastic How to make decisions: It’s not a matter of if, but rather when. Eventually, everyone will have a  compromise whether you’re culinary, scientist or engineer How would you create a new product?: Two paths: either mimic or something new. With mimicking, you know exactly what attributes you want. How do you do things faster?: Communicate expectations and create modular platforms In most technologies, we don’t create something too new, we improve existing technologies What would you recommend a food engineer should focus on: Find something passionate. Always ask questions and eventually, you’ll find something you’re passionate about. Most problems can be solved by simple algebra My Food job Rocks: I get to see cutting-edge technology all the time, everywhere Food Technologies: Machine Learning in the food space What challenges does the food industry have to face?: Get with the times. People who try to discourage technology are usually the ones who don’t benefit when it booms. What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: How other products are made. Such as Chicken Nugget shapes and M and M colors. Timelines: How long do you think it should take for products to get to market?: Depends on the complexity of the product. Unfortunately, if it’s too complex, the consumer won’t follow the directions anyways. The trend for products is 2 years Who inspired you to get into food?: the Extruder. Also the visionaries I’ve worked for in the past. Kitchen Item: I love to grill. Love working with fire. I prefer Coal. Adam: I made a firepit in Phoenix. Favorite Food: Noodles. All types of noodles If you were to teach a college course, what would you teach?: A big part about innovation is to look at things in a different lens. For example, meal kits were created in this. Any advice you have in the food industry?: don’t overcomplicate the question. Look at the tech and learn as much as you can about it. Broaden your horizons Where can we find you?: www.mtcc.io I’m free to just talk about ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices