Yvette Temple
Working as: SENIOR PRODUCT DEVELOPER for Griffins.
Age: 24
Earning: $40,000 - $50,000 + a super scheme
In a nutshell: “I’m in charge of developing new chocolate and fruit products at our Papakura site. I work with the various departments at Griffins to come up with a new idea or recipe and then take it right through to the launch.”
Why?
It’s a really good feeling when I walk into a supermarket and see something that I’ve made.”
My careers advisor at school was my main influencer. I asked her what I could do that was creative, involved sciences and with good money. I also wanted to get into something that was always changing, not boring and static. I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab all the time. I felt there would be a big demand for food technologists - as long as we have food I’ll always have a job.
So I did a Bachelor of Technology majoring in food technology at Massey University, which is a four year degree. It was great, the first couple of years were very hard but the third and fourth years were especially interesting. It involves a lot of nutrition and food chemistry which I enjoyed.
What I do
We get our ideas for new products from different places. Sometimes our clients will come to us with ideas, or we’ll look at products from overseas or our competitors. Often we’ll get the ideas from the marketing department as a result of the market research they’ve done.
For example, the marketing people might come to us and say “we want a new low-fat biscuit that mothers can give to children.” I’ll then work in the lab, putting some recipes together and playing around with the idea. I take the new product back to marketing and we have a big ‘round table’ discussion over the samples. We talk about them and decide whether it should have fruit, what color it should be, how big or small etc.
The hard part is taking that idea from the lab kitchen onto the production line. Often it just doesn’t work on a large scale, even if it worked in your test kitchen.
Once I‘ve finalised the product in the factory I then have to write up all the specifications on how it’ll work in the factory, with all the details like the equipment settings and so on.
I need to work with the packaging people as well to come up with all of the artwork and the nutritional information that goes on the side of the pack. These need to be right as the NZ food regulations are quite tight.
It’s a really good feeling when I walk into a supermarket though and see something that I’ve made. It feels good to say “I made that”.
The ANZAC challenge
 Making the new Anzac biscuit was a real challenge, because we had to launch it in three months which is extremely quick. The packaging can take about 12 weeks on its own, so we were working to a tight deadline. Because the Anzac biscuit is a New Zealand iconic product you can’t get it wrong either!
The marketing team decided we needed one after looking at the market and noticing that every other manufacturing group had an Anzac biscuit except for us, and we don’t have one for any of the NZ national holidays.
We’ve also developed chocolate gingernut fingers, which have just been released.
This job means that I do eat a lot of food. When I’m trialing a product I have to taste what I’m making, but you don’t have eat it all! There’s always lots of chocolate lying around so you have to be very strong not to eat it all of the time.
You need to have a real passion for food in this job, and for knowing what other people may want to eat. You also have to be able to deal with people – we have 250 people here and I have to talk to many of them and explain how I want things done on the production line.
I spend about 40% of my time on the computer and 60% doing practical work, so it’s a very practical job.
The Future
I know I can work in any area of food in the future. I could work with beverages or any kind of food and now there is this huge issue of obesity I think there will be huge demands for nutritionists.
(Profile courtesy of Futureintech – www.futureintech.org.nz).
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Real people talk about their jobs in food science, technology & engineering (courtesy of Futureintech: www.futureintech.com):
  Simon Loveday, Food Research Scientist for The Riddet Institute, Palmerston North.
 Wendy Robinson, Senior Food Technologist for NZ's largest ice cream manufacturer, Tip Top Ice-Cream, Auckland.
 Harriet Gibbs, Process Manager for multinational dairy processor Fonterra, Edendale, Southland.
 Bronwyn Hawker, Food Technologist with innovative beverage manufacturer Frucor, Auckland.
 Michelle Lucke, Process Improvement Technologist for prepared foods manufacturer, Heinz Watties, Tomoana, Hastings.
 Ben Sutherland, Product Development Technologist for healthy snack manufacturer Mother Earth Foods, Auckland.
 Anna Smith, Development Technologist for milk and dairy foods processor Fonterra Brands NZ.
 Melanie Wong, Food technologist/QA Manager for meat processor and exporter ANZCO Foods Green Island, near Dunedin.
 Rachel Johns, Product Development Technologist for iconic prepared foods manufacturer Heinz Wattie's, Hastings.
 John Evans, Operations Manager for drinks manufacturer Phoenix Organics, Auckland.
 Penny Hosking, Technical Manager for buttercup squash processor and exporter Southmark Quality Foods, Hastings.
 Emily Choi, Product Development Technologist for prepared foods manufacturer Heinz Wattie's, Hastings.
 Tracey Petley-Hibbs, Process Technologist for sweetmaker, Nestlé Confectionery, Auckland.
 Andrew Hutton, Product Development Technologist for prepared foods manufacturer Heinz Wattie's, Hastings.
 Debbie Curtis, Chocolate Technologist for international chocolatemaker, Cadbury, Dunedin.
 Jonelle Taylor, Senior Product Development Technologist for Fresh 'n' Fruity yoghurt manufacturer Fonterra Brands, Auckland.
 Yvette Temple, Senior Product Developer for biscuit manufacturer Griffins, Auckland.
More profiles of careers in food technology at Futureintech: www.futureintech.com. | |
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