That's A Food Job!

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 ins...

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, shar...

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 mo...

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 te...

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 snac...

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 f...

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 The University of British Columbia with a BCom specialized in Global Supply Chain & Logistic...

What does it take to shape the future of food production and drive sustainability in the industry? Seamus Higgins, Associate Professor and Course Director for Food Process Engineering at the University of Nottingham, shares his journey from electrical engineer to food process expert—and how he's inspiring the next generation of engineers. Seamus began his career as an electrical engineer in the fo...

What does it take to represent 28,000 farmers and promote Ontario grains to the world? Dana Dickerson, Market Development and Sustainability Manager at Grain Farmers of Ontario, shares how she builds markets, fosters global relationships, and drives sustainability in agriculture. In this episode, you'll learn: Surprising facts about Ontario grain production The tech transforming modern agriculture...

AJ Taylor, Ph. D. is a Scientist II, Innovation at McCormick FONA who recently graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign with a Ph. D. in food science where his research focused on understanding the physiochemical and microbiological aspects of cocoa bean fermentation. This research is looking at ways to understand how microbes affect the quality and flavour profile of the result...

Brendan Niemira, PhD is a Lead Scientist with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service. He leads a team of 30+ scientists, engineers, technicians, postdocs, and students in Wyndmoor, PA., developing tools to kill human pathogens on produce, meats, poultry, shellfish, and other foods. However, his focus and passion are developing and validating cold plasma, high-intensity monochromatic light, irrad...

Michael Sharp is the director of research and analytics at the Heartland Food Products Group. The Heartland Food Products Group is a global leader in making low-calorie sweeteners and liquid water enhancers. It is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, and makes Splenda Sweeteners.  Michael has over 13 years of experience in research and development, leading new products from concept to commercial...

Jennifer McEntire, Ph. D., founder of Food Safety Strategy and former Chief Food Safety & Regulatory Officer at the International Fresh Produce Association. She is a food microbiologist by background and has worked in the Washington, DC, area for over 20 years, bringing the scientific perspective to food safety leadership positions within the grocery manufacturers association. She held previous fo...

Davis 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...

On today's episode we are talking about what a senior researcher does, the difficulties of collaboration in research and f iguring out what you enjoy. Matthew Teesgarden Ph. D., Senior Researcher and his role is providing strategic leadership for all scientific operations and communications in the Ohio States Foods for Health research initiative. FFH is focused on helping researchers work collabor...

On today's episode we are talking about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, what's it like working in a small business and finding your "why". Surria Fadel, is the Co-Founder of Cedar Valley Selections. Cedar Valley Selections is not your average pita chip company. They are creating high-quality authentic pita chips in a variety of different flavours.  Surria graduated with a Bachelors Degree i...

On today's episode, we discuss food safety consulting, essential skills for food safety professionals, and how volunteering can help you network. Tania is the Co-Founder and Director of Assured Food Safety Consulting. She is here to offer guidance on navigating the world of food safety careers. Tania has a Master's degree in food science and is a proud Centennial College Biotechnology alumni. She...

On today's episde we are talking about the Kaan's career journey, his book "Food for Thought" and philosophy. About Kaan Demiryürek Kaan Demiryürek is the Research and Development Director for Sustainable Packaging at PepsiCo. Pepsico products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo's food portfolio includes pr...

On today's episode we are talking about the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN), CFIN's career resource library, Jamil's career story and cool innovation happening in Canada. Our guest today is Jamil Karim , Director of Communications for CFIN. CFIN helps to fund transformative foodtech projects, stimulate collaboration, and foster a growing community of food and beverage professionals. They c...

On today's episode we are talking about buliding a career journey into the tea industry, the differences about blended and single orgin teas, fostering a sense of continuous learning and problem-solving techniques which are pivotal for his consulting pursuits in the tea industry and advice for those looking to go into the tea industry.  Our guest today is William (Billy) Dietz, author or the book...

On today's episode, we discuss the fields of packaging and project management, lessons learned in managing teams, and the importance of staying curious. Our guest is Karen Aranha, Innovation & Commercialization Project Manager at The Hershey Company. Karen graduated with a Bachelors's Degree from the University of Mumbai in Packaging and Printing Technology. After gaining some experience in the fi...

On today's episode we are talking about the ins and outs of food inspections, the art of communication in the workplace and balancing work a master's program. Our guest today is Mariia Melnychuk, Food Processing Specialist Inspector at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and MSc. student for Food Safety & Quality Assurance at University of Guelph. The CFIA is a key science-based federal reg...

On today's episode we are talking about entrepenurship, Canada's food landscape and how Venture Parks is helping to support small start-ups.  Mike McNeil is vice president of operations at Venturepark Labs . Venturepark Labs is a non-profit supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in the food & wellness categories. It was initially founded in 2015 as District Ventures Accelerator and District Ventures...

On today's episode we are talking about what a product developer does in the wine and spirits sector, sensory science and the valuable skills developed during postgraduate education. Our guest today is Esther Onguta, a Toronto native passionate about food and cooking, is an expert in food, fermentation, and sensory science. She earned a BSc in Food Science from the University of Guelph, specializi...

On today's episode we are talking about innovation and artificial intelligence in the food industry, making an impact in the world and unique paths that you can take with an engineering degree.  Our guest today is Harjeet Bajaj, President & CEO at Savormetrics. Savormetrics provides AI driven sensor devices to food and agriculture companies. Our devices perform real time, in situ QA/QC. Their pred...