FOOD APPLICATIONS SPECIALIST (INNOVATION/R&D)
Freddy Hirsch Group
Total years of experience :15 years, 6 Months
• Act as an integral member of essential teams of the business including but not limited to the following departments: Technical Innovations Centre (TIC), Innovations Lab, New Product Development (NPD), Exports and AG international team.
• Advises executive management on ways to respond to emerging product and meat block problems with evidence-based recommendations.
• Participate in: Support of sales team on customer visits, provide training on making of products or using the equipment, technical support and market knowledge discussions/sessions with customers and internally, Customer presentations, Sensory panels, Reporting of results of trials and installations done through technical written reports, Supply on-time progress reports to the relevant teams, evaluate competitor products.
• Design, plan and execute development steps (E.g. kitchen or lab - pilot plant - internal/external factories) for products according to objectives, costs and deadlines.
• Including establishing and managing deadlines, uncovering roadblocks, defining critical paths and identifying resources constraints.
• Troubleshoot and process improvements of production lines.
• Provide detailed recommendations for new products, processes, techniques and solutions to problems.
• Equipment and Product Installations and commissioning of patented specialised equipment and technology in the sausage industry Locally in South Africa, Internationally in Africa, Europe and America.
• Assist customers with problem solving, organisation and running of trials within meat processing facilities or remotely.
• Reporting to senior staff i.e., CEO, members of executives and customers to combat unforeseen problems relating to product and technical services.
• Evaluate raw materials, product formula and food applications.
• Operate specialised equipment and instruments.
• Independently or collectively conduct trials on a range of products in the pilot plant within the TIC for potential customers, existing clients, suppliers and R&D department.
• Extensive experience and expertise in production of the following products (not limited to): ○ Fresh application (e.g., boerewors; burgers; extended minced meat, vegetarian, whole muscle, etc) ○ Cooked /Processed application (Smoked, cured, dried meat products, Alginate casing co extrusion sausages, Vegetarian sausages, Halaal Products, Injected products) ○ Experience with all meat and meat alternative products (Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb, meat replacements, vegetarian, etc)
• Successful projects include small to large scale customers throughout the world. Customers included but not limited to:
• Setup stall for days proceedings.
• Sales of products to customers
• Preparation and production of all Cookies & Cream products (baked goods and authentic ice cream in bulk amounts)
• Efficiently maintain customer service.
• Promote in store tastings.
• Safely and securely handle money and cash up sales for the day.
• Safely transport foreign students, lecturers, professors and important guests arriving from around the world visiting the University of Stellenbosch.
• Assist with admin queries.
• Data capturing
• Gained experience in new product development for stores
• Visited the distribution centre
• Documented the finished product specification
• Responsible for store space planning based on load lines, freezer functioning, and back freezer area space utilisation
• Conducted travel test evaluation on packaging used for frozen chicken, applied Woolworths Microbiological guidelines decision
• Assisted the technical assistant with conducted food quality control
• Main project: gathered and assessed information relating to the size of outer cartons and calculating how the cartons would fit in the back freezers at Woolworths stores nationwide.
RECEPTIONIST