Careers in food and fermentation science are booming! Want to know what type of career you could have with a Food or Fermentation Science degree?

Check out the careers of these former OSU Food Science & Technology alumni...

Nate Armbrust
BS 2000
Product Development Specialist
Pacific Foods of Oregon

Pacific Foods of Oregon is a leader in the Natural Foods industry and is located in Tualatin. Here at Pacific Foods, we have a unique line of aseptically packed Natural and Organic products, including non-dairy beverages like soymilk and rice milk. We also produce natural soups and broths such as Organic Creamy Tomato Soup, Organic Free Range Chicken Broth and Organic Vegetable Broth.

Upon graduating from Oregon State in 2000 with a degree in Food Science and Technology, I took a job at Pacific Foods. I worked in production for a short time and then moved into the product/process development department. I now do work with recipe formulation for new products. I search out new ingredients that meet our standards for our natural and organic products.

I get to do a lot of small batch testing in the pilot plant. If pilot plant batches are successful and it seems like a product that we might want to take to the next level and offer it to the consumer, I then move out into the production area for full-scale test batches. I work closely with the plant engineers and production managers to schedule and complete test runs of new products. I get to do new things every day at work. I might be doing chemical/micro lab work, doing tests on new enzymes for use in food processing, in a production meeting, doing nutritional analysis for labeling, or maybe setting up a sensory test. The best part of my job is the satisfaction of seeing a new product through from start to finish. .

Sheri L. Celtruda
MS 1997
Sensory Scientist
Hershey Foods Corporation

In general, I find the everyday application of my Food Science knowledge to be very gratifying. Unlike many occupations that are specialized and do not apply to everyday life, Food Science and Sensory Science are part of our everyday experiences. And, when I tell people I taste chocolate for a living, EVERYBODY smiles!!!

As a Sensory Scientist at Hershey Foods, a typical project involves clearly defining project objectives with the client, designing the appropriate experiment to meet those objectives, training a descriptive analysis panel to evaluate the product in question, then collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting the data, either in report or presentation format.

There are many aspects of my job that I find very enjoyable. Among the most rewarding is taking a collection of data and information and using my knowledge of Food Science and Sensory Science to make sense of it and tell a story. This often involves interaction with people from many areas of the company, another activity I find fulfilling. I frequently interact with employees from Marketing, Product Development, Marketing Research, and Plant Personnel, among others. These interactions allow me to gain an appreciation of colleagues' job responsibilities and obtain a better understanding of the bigger business picture.

Mike De La Cruz
BS Food Science 1993
Research and Development Specialist
Tazo Tea Company, Portland Oregon

I have worked many interesting jobs in the food industry, but my job at Tazo is the most rewarding and fun job that I have ever had. One of the things that make R&D at Tazo so great is that I get involved in so many aspects of the new product development cycle that it never gets dull. I have responsibilities that include concept development, formulation, packaging design and evaluation, sensory, financial justification, commercialization and finally launching of the new product into the marketplace.

So what does all of this mean? It means that I get to create great new blends of teas and botanicals which go into our tea bag line and tea brews that will get blended with only the finest Natural ingredients and end up in our bottled tea line or tea latte line which includes products like Chai tea latte. Tazo products are served and sold at every Starbucks Coffee Company around the world.

There is no better reward than to work hard on a project and then later be able to see your product on the shelf at the store. It is quite a kick to see someone drinking a product you developed and enjoying it thoroughly. I have even been fortunate enough to have two of the products that I have developed win awards. In 2002 our Ready to Drink (RTD) Plum Delicious iced green tea with plum and pomegranate juice won “Best new tea or tea product” at the Specialty Coffee association annual meeting which is attended by both coffee and tea professionals. The next year in 2003, our RTD Tea Lemonade iced black tea with lemonade won the category of “Best new RTD product”.

I entered the Food Science and Technology program as a freshman, and to this day I have never regretted it.

Christina Edwards
BS 1998
MS 2001
International Flavors and Fragrances Inc.

I love food! This passion/obsession (call it what you may) led me from a BS to an MS in Food Science and Technology to an exciting job with one of the largest flavor and fragrance companies in the world, International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF). IFF supplies flavors for beverages and food products—from food manufacturers to food service. Chances are that if you eat packaged goods (e.g. soda, yogurt, chips, soup, etc.) or in a casual restaurant, you've experienced many of our flavors. IFF also supplies fragrances for household products, toiletries and fine fragrances (some of which are displayed).

My job is in the sensory and consumer insights area of food science. This field deals with the human perception of food from consumers to trained experts. My main responsibility is to train and maintain a descriptive panel. A descriptive panel is a group of people who are trained to profile food products by describing all of the characteristics of the products and then assigning numbers to the intensity of those characteristics. This helps us to quantify how much of the flavor is in each product. The profiles that the panel provides are useful in all areas of a food product's life cycle. The panel profiles prototypes vs. targets that we create as well as all competing market products. The panel can even be used to solve quality control issues.

What I love about my job is that I am always learning about different food products, and most importantly, always tasting them! Everyday is different and I am always interacting with fun and interesting people. I hope my experience can inspire others to try out food science. You'll really like it!

Leah Gerig
BS 2003
Fermentation Microbiologist
E & J Gallo Winery

A typical day at E&J Gallo Winery:
During crush (August – October) I am working onsite at our Livingston Winery which is the largest winery in the world. My days consist of yeast rehydrations, monitoring starter cultures and fermentors, meetings and reports. Sampling tanks and analyzing samples is an hourly occurrence. From the results we determine the progression of the fermentation and decide on the next step in processing. There are always the routine day to day activities that we have to get done, but crush seems to be full of surprises and minor crises that keep things exciting and us on our toes.

In the off season I analyze data that was collected during crush, design and perform experiments in my assigned focus area and do some sensory evaluation (both at work and on the side). I am currently working on both a malt fermentation project and on malolactic fermentation optimization. I've designed and laid out my experimental workplan for the upcoming months and am now starting to dig my heels into my projects.

In the short time that I've been employed by Gallo I have enjoyed every minute of it. Working as a team in the applied fermentation group and being challenged as an individual on a day to day basis has been great. I have learned so much in my position and from the people that I work with. It's also fun to be part of such a well-recognized brand—it's pretty awesome to be standing in front of a one-million gallon tank of wine and know that I had a part in producing it!

Dave Gravelle
BS 2000
Quality Assurance Special Projects Manager
Tillamook County Creamery Association

I have worked for Tillamook County Creamery Association, maker of Tillamook cheese and other premium dairy products, since July 1999. I started out in the Whey Department as the graveyard whey bagger, next it was on to the Lab as the assistant lab manager, then to the Cheese Department as cheese production specialist, and recently I was promoted to quality assurance special projects manager. My education from OSU, combined with on the job experience from each of my previous positions, has given me the skill set needed for my next role at the Creamery.

Most of what I do involves problem solving--taking an issue and figuring out what is causing it and how to eliminate it. Unfortunately, I cannot take all of the credit. Without the help of all the people I work with, the problems would be much harder to solve. I also write standard operating procedures (SOP's) and help out as needed in various departments. I find my work very rewarding and if there is one piece of advice I can give, it would be: once you find something you like, stick with it. Although I gained valuable experience working in the production departments, I have found the quality assurance department to be my passion.

Tillamook County Creamery Association is an excellent company to work for and excellent people to work with. The company has been around a long time and has established its name in the Northwest and around the country. Since I started, production has more than doubled at TCCA-- it is a fast growing company! I will continue working here as long as the company will have me. If you have any questions regarding Tillamook County Creamery Association, feel free to email me at dgravelle@tillamookcheese.com or check out the Web site at http://www.tillamookcheese.com.

Jason Huebsch
BS 1999
Assistant R & D Manager
Reser's Fine Foods

I have been working at Reser's Fine Foods since graduation in 1999. I started out as an R&D lab technician working on existing products. Since then, I have been able to work with new products, new processing methods, and just about all areas of our business. Reser's gives me a chance to work with a huge variety of products, ingredients and production methods. Our plants produce refrigerated products primarily, although I have been able to work with some frozen foods as well. We produce many cold salads like potato, macaroni, cole slaw, pasta, chicken, and many others. We currently have over 90 different potato salads! We also produce mashed potatoes, fresh cut potatoes, burritos and tortillas. Reser's has also recently released a new line of Home Meal Replacement items. With such a large product variety, my job is always changing and I am always learning something new about food or the food industry.

Some of my projects have required working with other companies to develop new products in a co-packer relationship. When a new product is ready to test, I'll head to the plant and conduct a test batch. This scaled up version of a lab-developed product will help work out production issues that may arise. It is fun to see the product go from the bench top, to the plant, and eventually into the stores. I have also been involved in developing new tests and consistency programs to help maintain consistent products throughout the country. Sensory is a big part of my job. We are always sampling new products from around the country to keep an eye on trends and get some new ideas. I have also worked with sales and been able to visit customers to present our products. My job has involved a fair amount of travel. Whether I am visiting one of our plants, a supplier's plant, or a customer, Reser's has given me a great chance to see the country.

Reser's is a large family-owned company with a small company feel. I have been lucky to work with such a great group of people. I even met my wife here! It's also nice to work around such a big group of Beaver fans.

Doug Kutella
BS 1999
Part Owner
Cascade Lakes Brewing Company

When I was a freshman in high school I brewed a batch of beer without my parents knowing. Brewing my first batch went very smoothly. It was the consuming of the first batch that got me in trouble! Long story short, my parents found out, were not happy, and I did not brew again until arriving at OSU.

I started in Chemical Engineering always thinking I would be working in the brewing industry, but as soon as the Fermentation Science option opened I transferred. I loved the fact that everything was hands-on and practical. The professors were much more approachable and "down to earth" than any that I had experienced before. My classmates were all just as enthusiastic about the material as I was, which provided an amazing learning environment.

After graduation I went to work for Pacific Foods (not before I went to Germany for a while to do some more research!) as a team leader in their production facility. I was there for 1.5 years, in which time Nate Armbrust joined the team. I loved Pacific Foods because of the forward-thinking nature of the company.

In September of 2000 a longtime friend, Rick Orazetti, and I found out about Cascade Lakes Brewery being for sale and jumped on the opportunity. I have no doubt that if this would not have come up I would still be at Pacific Foods. It's a great company. But who could pass up a life dream like owning your own brewery? Ever since that day in high school that I brewed for the first time I knew this was what I wanted to do.

The thing that I love the most about being in the brewing industry is the relaxed nature of the business. It's not cutthroat and it seems that all the craft breweries work together, sharing information and ideas. There is competition but it's healthy and we all support our industry together.

I love what I do. The first year, Rick and I didn't take a salary and we worked every day. In just a short time, we've been able to expand our business to include the brewery and three pubs, and our new Cascade Lakes Lodge restaurant will be opening soon. No day is the same—some are great, others you would love to have missed altogether, but it all adds to the experience and, like I said, I love what I do.