Solving R&D problems with Davis Jaeger, R&D Leader, Culinary Expert and Food Scientist | Ep. 92
Release Date: 07/17/2024
Building AI for Food Scientists with Thomas Hayes, Co-Founder at Agilitas (#108)
That's a Food Job!
Thomas Hayes is the co-founder of Agilitas, a company building AI-powered tools to help food scientists formulate faster, smarter, and with more confidence. By transforming messy spreadsheets into an intelligent platform, Agilitas is tackling the “cold start” problem in food R&D and making it easier for teams to benchmark products, create base formulas, and retain critical institutional knowledge. In this episode of That’s a Food Job!, Tommy shares his unconventional path from chemical engineering to food tech founder. He talks about building a customer-first platform, the power of...
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The future of CPG packaging with Tyler de Sousa, Co-Founder at Circulr (#107)
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Tyler De Sousa is the co-founder of Circulr, a company helping Consumer Packaged Goods brands close the loop on their glass packaging through reuse. By managing the logistics of sourcing, collecting, and redistributing reusable containers, Circulr is making it easier for businesses and consumers to reduce waste and support a circular economy. In this episode of That's a Food Job!, Tyler shares how a small pilot project turned into a growing social enterprise. He talks about the challenges of changing consumer behavior, the importance of industry collaboration, and how technology is helping...
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Turning a food science degree into a sales career with Felicia Sia, account manager at Dempsey Corporation (#106)
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Building relationships: The art of sales in the food equipment industry with National Business Development & Sales Manager, Rafal Rusiniak at Handtmann Canada Limited(#105)
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Rafal Rusiniak is the National Business Development & Sales Manager at Handtmann Canada Limited, a company specializing in food processing equipment solutions. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Rafal’s journey into sales was unexpected—he originally pursued a degree in engineering before discovering his passion for sales and business development. In this episode, Rafal takes us inside the world of food processing equipment sales, sharing insights on building relationships with clients, the structured approach to sales training, and the process behind purchasing...
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Implementing lean manufacturing in food production with COO, Brian Allaway at Made with Local (#104)
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Brian Allaway is the COO of Made With Local, a company known for its commitment to real food, community connections, and sustainable business practices. With 16 years of experience leading teams in food manufacturing, Brian specializes in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and quality management. In this episode, Brian takes us inside the world of small-scale food manufacturing, sharing insights on building strong teams, fostering a culture where mistakes fuel growth, and the power of lean tools like Kanban (not KanBan, as you’ll hear!). We also dive into the future of...
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Building a Sustainable Food Future with Sustinability Manager, Berklee Welsh at Simple Mills (#103)
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Berklee Welsh is the Associate Sustainability Manager at Simple Mills, a company on a mission to make healthy choices easy through their line of snacks, crackers, cookies, and baking mixes using whole food ingredients. In this episode, she takes us behind the scenes of ingredient sourcing at Simple Mills and reveals how the Almond Project is uniting farmers, businesses, and experts to create a more sustainable food future. *** Berklee's / Simple Mills' / / / *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → *** SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY FOOD INDUSTRY CAREER TIPS → *** COOL THINGS TO...
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Preventing Listeria Outbreaks with science and entrepreneurship with Laurent Dallaire, CEO and Co-founder of Innodal
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Laurent Dallaire is the CEO and co-founder of Innodal, a company dedicated to developing and producing for various sectors and offers innovative solutions to inhibit microbiological pathogens. With a background in biotechnological engineering from the University of Sherbrooke and a master’s degree in food science from Laval University as part of the METABIOLAC industrial chair, Laurent combines technical expertise with entrepreneurial vision. Following his academic journey, he founded Innodal to address food safety challenges with innovative, science-backed solutions. His work focuses on...
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Turning insights into actionable strategies with Matt Thell, Global Strategy & Innovation Leader at General Mills Inc. (#101)
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Matt Thell is a Global Strategy & Innovation Leader at General Mills Inc. General Mills Inc. is the creator of iconic brands like Cheerios, Pillsbury and Häagen-Dazs. Matt is a member of an internal consultancy team that helps teams within his organization tackle challenges and seize opportunities. His career journey spans over two decades, beginning with product development roles for beloved snacks like Chex Mix and Gardettos and evolving into strategic roles that focus on front-end innovation. 🔍 Episode Highlights: Matt shares insights into his role as a strategic consultant...
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Serving up 100 episodes: Our Story of Growth and Inspiration with Sydney Mohr and Nicole Gallace (#100)
That's a Food Job!
This podcast marks the 100th episode of the FoodGrads Podcast! The podcast began in September 2020 and since then we have produced 100 episodes! The success this show has had and continues to build is all because of YOU. You listening, supporting, and sharing the show. We thank you for the support. To celebrate this achievement we are re-branding the the podcast to That's a Food Job! We wanted a fresh new look (and name) for the podcast. We’re here to celebrate food industry professionals and proudly say—That's a Food Job! In this episode Veronica Hislop is joined with Sydney Mohr and...
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Environmental Operations Coordinator at Susgrainable - Joseph Lyons (#99)
That's a Food Job!
Joesph Lyons is the Environmental Operations Coordinator for Susgrainable. Susgrainable has a bold mission to create a world where food waste and diabetes are a thing of the past. Right now they are producing a variety of baking mixes but they are looking to expand in the future. Joseph with Honours from with a BCom specialized in Global Supply Chain & Logistics Management. Joesph is fairly new out of graduation but he has done a lot since he started at Susgrainable. In just 9 months he has helped build tools to track stock, built relationships with industry partners and he...
info_outlineDavis Jaeger is a R&D Leader, Culinary Expert and Food Scientist. He has had a winding career path up until this point. Davis began working in the hospitality industry at the young age of 14, starting as a busboy. However, his career took a turn when he transitioned to the kitchen after one of the chefs resigned and another chef invited him to join the kitchen staff. That's how he ended up in the culinary science program at Clemson University. Since then, his passion for food science has only grown, and he has not regretted his decision for a moment.
🔍 Episode Highlights:
▪ Challenges and failures Davis faced along the way
▪ The necessity of gaining manufacturing plant experience
▪ The difficulties of collaboration in research
▪ The skill of communicating technical details to non-technical stakeholders
▪ Asking good questions to get a problem solved
Davis's / Instagram / LinkedIn
TIMESTAMPS
(0:00) - Introduction
(2:30) - Davis's career journey
(16:50) - Switching between R&D expertise (meat to confectionery)
(24:15) - Imporance of manufacturing plant experience
(34:39) - How to ask questions in the workplace
(36:56) - How to demonstrate you can solve problems in an interview
(40:14) - Davis talks about his failures and challenges in the workplace
(52:20) Skills important to individuals looking to go into R&D
(55:40) Outro
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