John Evans
Working as: OPERATIONS MANAGER – Phoenix Organics, Auckland
Age: 28
Earning: Food Technologists start around $35,000, and can go much higher
In a nutshell: “I have responsibility for our production line which bottles the drinks, our technical team who look after the product development, the quality of the drinks and their distribution.”
Why food technology?
“It’s exciting to be part of a dynamic business in a dynamic industry. Because the company is small I’ve had a lot of opportunities to be involved in different things.”
I work as the Operations Manager for Phoenix Organics who produce organic non-alcoholic drinks for the adult market which are distributed throughout New Zealand and Australia.
I look after our production line which bottles the drinks, our technical team who look after the product development, the quality of the drinks and their distribution.
Getting started
I went to Auckland Boys Grammar school but I lived in Papakura and it was only when I was sitting on the bus and heard someone talking about their brother who had gone to do Food Technology that sewed the seed for this career.
I’ve always had an interest in sciences and then in 5th and 6th form I developed an interest in making wine. I investigated how this could be a career and uncovered a course called Food Technology.
What appealed to me about Food Technology versus a wine course was the broad base and its overview of the whole industry rather than focusing on one area of it. So I did the Bachelor of Food Technology with the idea that I could always specialize in wine later if I wanted.
The sciences are critical to being successful in this course, so knowing about the chemistry of food and the physics for the engineering is very important.
I completed this degree through Massey University in Upper Albany. It’s a 4 year degree and I graduated with honors.
Starting my career
As part of the course I had to work in the food industry during the summer breaks. McDonalds was my industry in the first year, preparing food for the stores. In my second year I worked for Tip Top and then for Dominion Breweries in my third year.
I was offered a Massey Scholarship, which Massey offers graduates to encourage them to come back and study at Masters level. I found out about a graduate research industry fellowship where you do your masters in association with an industry and that’s where I had my first association with Phoenix.
Phoenix had approached Massey with a problem they were having with one of their drinks which was turned into a Masters degree project. I spent 12 months doing this.
I spent 12 months focusing on the colour stability of a berry drink they produce. The official title of my project was “colour and cloud stability of a wild berry herbal drink”. Phoenix sponsored the cost of the project and paid me a modest amount to do the work.
 A company on the move
Phoenix Organics employed me after my I finished my Masters and I’ve worked here for 4 ½ years now. I saw this company as an ideal one to work for because it was small, it was expanding and I saw it as a company that could offer me many opportunities further down the track.
What’s exciting is that the beverage industry is pretty dynamic, and Phoenix is a dynamic company within that industry. Our turn over has gone up five fold, we have 25 staff and this year we’ll be turning over $10 million. This has provided a lot of opportunities and because it’s small I’ve had a part in the direction of the business.
This job has offered me travel opportunities as Phoenix has opened into the Australian market. I attend trade shows there and try to identify the market needs.
It is a stimulating job. When I was a product developer I brought quite a few products to the market. There is a lot of satisfaction which comes with that, especially when you get feed back from people about these products.
We’re always looking for new ideas, from people who give us feedback via the web or by phone, and we also look at trends around the world. For example, we might look at the popularity of a new fruit juice that’s working well overseas. Our sales and marketing team are always looking at this.
We have a lot of core company values that are important to us. We’re committed to organics and that limits what products we can make, and so this excludes the diet drinks because they have artificial sweeteners in them. We also consider the environment and have a policy to package in glass because it’s recyclable.
But at the end of the day the product needs to look good, be delicious and appealing to the consumer. We really pride ourselves on the products we produce. We put a lot of effort into what we make.
What it takes
If you want to get into the food and beverage industry you really need to have a passion for food and beverage, or at least have an interest in it. You need to enjoy working with people.
With this degree you can have the opportunity to move to management. I’m now going back to university to up-skill in business management and I’m doing an MBA as I have been offered shares in the company and I’m now a company director.
I have a company phone and car, and work is paying for my university study..
At home
I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend Jenita (who works for Cadbury’s).
I like to play squash and golf for my exercise routine. I like to get out of Auckland when I get the chance and go fishing on the Coromandel..
(Profile courtesy of Futureintech – www.futureintech.com).
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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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