Debbie Curtis
Working as: CHOCOLATE TECHNOLOGIST for Cadbury.
Age: 27
Earning: Food Technologists can earn between $35000 and $100,000 depending on qualifications and experience
In a nutshell: “While I was primarily attracted to the position of technologist as a lover of chocolate I have since found the role to be the perfect merger of my scientific expertise and love of chocolate.”
Why?
“There are a number of career paths out there for a chocolate technologist – life is sweet indeed!”
Secrets of the Factory
Ever wonder why the same brand of chocolate bar tastes different in another country?
Surprising as it may sound there is a different flavour profile for each chocolate bar in each country. Even the recipe for the chocolate ‘crumb’ (chocolate base) varies from country to country.
All chocolate that will be used to make chocolate bars and novelties for Cadbury in New Zealand are produced at the Cadbury factory in Dunedin.
Crumb for Australian consumption is also produced in Dunedin due to the enormous quantities of milk needed in ‘milk chocolate’ (50,000 litres of milk a day is used by this plant alone). Thanks to the success of the New Zealand dairy industry, production in New Zealand makes more than enough economic sense to those signing the cheques.
My role could be defined as having three parts:
• The first is making new products.
• Next there is updating or improvement of existing products.
• Finally there is factory support – working alongside and observing workers in the factory and involving them as an important source of information for future developments.
There are a multitude of small changes that need to be continuously monitored. Changes in technology, processes and minor increases or decreases in heat all affect the chocolate produced and the flavour of the end product. It is vital to maintain the integrity of the flavour profile for each country. Nobody wants a chocolate bar that tastes different from bar to bar.
As a company we also work to safeguard the specific cultural requirements of certain groups, so having products that meet the Halal and Kosher requirements is also important.
I also have responsibility for the production of chocolate for other manufacturing processes and food service producers such as Tip Top, Griffins and Cookie Time, all of whom use chocolate in their products.
A Chocolate Technologist
As a member of the R & D Department my work focuses around developing new products for Cadbury. This involves working closely with the marketing team who are the ones who suggest new possibilities, gaps in the market, changing consumer demands and develop a marketing brief. I work with this brief to source ingredients, research the possibilities (including cost) and then return to marketing where the idea is approved (of course). Once the idea is aspproved, I move on to the production phase which includes: making concept samples, trial production in the factory, packaging trials and formulating the ingredients list and nutritional information for the packaging. The time taken from the conception of the idea to the product being on the shelves can be as short as 3-4 months or much longer. It all depends on the details of production such as the complexity of manufacture, sourcing the ingredients, etc.
 Some of the considerations with new products are that they need to be compatible with the Cadbury brand identity and if they are a variant of an existing product then they need to fit with that brand identity as well. An example of this was the recent launch of the “Double Nut Moro Bar’. Moro is already well-known and has a reputation as a well-known energy bar. It was therefore important that the double nut concept fitted with that image. Fortunately the increase in nuttiness (a combination of hazel and peanuts) is an excellent energy source.
The Path to Success
I have been working here for over a year now and what caught my attention was that the job was advertised as chocolate technologist. While I was primarily attracted to the position as a lover of chocolate I have since found the role to be the perfect merger of my scientific expertise and love of chocolate. As well as possessing a Science honours degree in Food Technology from Otago University I’ve also completed a graduate diploma in marketing. These diverse skills have given me a greater awareness of consumer behaviour and the different market demands that are a direct reflection of what I produce on the factory floor.
Food chemistry has applications that I use all the time. It is extremely important as a technologist to be able to understand the practical applications of the process you are working with. While I have a science degree, the practical application of a food technology major made this an ideal choice for me.
Food, health and nutrition considerations impact on any future developments. Currently there is a concern within developed nations about obesity. This significantly impacts the packaging and nutritional information on labels. In some countries there is a push to remove the high levels of ‘trans fats’ from products like chocolate. New Zealand (Cadbury’s) chocolate is already lower in trans fats though there are studies in determining the level at which the integrity of the chocolate is at risk when you remove the trans fats.
Working for Cadbury’s
Cadbury’s is a global company and working here means having colleagues in NZ (Dunedin and Auckland) as well as Singapore, United Kingdom and a plethora of other countries. Technical staff are encouraged to share expertise with and learn from colleagues in other production sites internationally. Training is important and attending conferences and meetings adds to your professional expertise. For workers in the production and manufacturing areas there is also training, and appropriate qualifications can be gained. The experience of leading hands, supervisors and production managers contribute to my effectiveness also.
The future for a chocolate technologist could include management roles, project management, roles at other sites in this global company and maybe technical sales. Life is indeed sweet.
(Profile courtesy of Futureintech – www.futureintech.org.nz).
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More profiles of careers in food technology at Futureintech: www.futureintech.com. | |
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