Product Development and Culinary Specialist - F&B Manufacturing

LASSONDE PAPPAS AND CO INC•Boardman, OH

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Lassonde Pappas & Co. is a US Leader in beverage manufacturing dedicated to team member, customer, and consumer satisfaction. The company values its small-town roots and rural values, emphasizing hardworking and caring qualities in its teams. Since 1942, they have been producing delicious products nationwide. They are committed to building the best team by creating and advancing an inclusive environment amongst their diverse workforces. They are looking for individuals who are passionate about customer satisfaction, reliable, and committed to continuous improvement. The company offers a robust benefits program to support employee wellbeing, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, growth and development opportunities, 401-K, Life & Disability Insurance, PTO, Tuition Reimbursement, Health Fairs, and Gym Membership Discounts.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or related field required
Minimum 5 years’ experience in food service, manufacturing and/or volume cooking
Able to read recipes and use various units of food measurement (liquid &dry)
Strong communication skills a must to be able to manage and move projects through cross-functional teams
Computer skills with Microsoft Office applications and Vicinity is a plus
Ability to multi-task effectively
Organized, detailed with good follow up skills
Regularly required to talk, hear, and see. Frequently required to sit, stand; walk; manual dexterity; and reach with hands and arms.
Ability to reach, lift, bend knees, stoop, climb and push or pull items weighing 50 lbs. or less if needed

Nice To Haves

Culinary and/or Food Science degree preferred

Responsibilities

On-going research on new ingredients, applications, and processes
Thermal processing technical support for heat penetration studies for new/current product
Product Ideation and Reverse Engineering
Facilitate third – party lab analysis for validation on new and/or revised products
In-house product testing and recording for all R&D formulas
Raw Materials reviewed for brand specific specifications and process
Maintain ServSafe certificate for food handler
Follow GMP’s for sanitary and processing requirements for producing safe quality food
Maintain all R&D equipment
Order and secure raw materials needed for formulation based on batch size and process
Document all imperative information on projects to include tracking recipe formulations, record cook time and temp, record average fill weight, R&D labeling and proper storage
Document revisions to recipe or process within project workbook
Submit approved recipe to accounting for final pricing
Notify team that product is available for internal review
Prepare samples to ship to customer or sales
Provide tastings/cuttings with new products, similar products or when issues with current products need corrected or reassessed
Final recipe submitted to R&D manager, accounting, and procurement
Recipe and processing entered in Vicinity with NOP submission
Pre-production meeting set with required individuals to include benchtop, initial production specs, and process steps
Accompany product for initial production run and maintains active role in first batch processing with direct communication with batch maker lead
Continual auditing of product category to ensure process/product integrity
Assist in troubleshooting areas of concern
Facilitate a close working relationship between R&D, purchasing and/or vendor
Provide guidance when sourcing a new ingredient, a replacement and/or secondary supplier
Perform quarterly inspection (walk-through) for internal plant audits
Assist department with SOP’s related to equipment implementation or revisions
Certified PCQI team member to assist, practice and maintain the Food Safety/Quality Plan
Travel to various manufacturers to help develop new products, evaluate products, and approve initial production runs
Assist in Co-manufacturer/Co-packer validation audits
Provide recipe guidelines, ingredient specifications and product standards
Travel and attend main food shows [FFS] for brand presentations
Support Sales in product descriptions/talking points/recipes/photos
Provide sufficient samples with mock-up labels for Sales/Customer presentation