Experience

Adelaide's Finest Frewville & Pasadena Foodland

• Australia
• Retail Groceries
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Special Projects & Marketing Consultant

  • Jun 2019 - Present



Souter Food

• Principal Consultant

  • Nov 2014 - Present

  Independent consultant to QSRs, retailers, retail brands and meal kit businesses. Assisting in two main ways: 1) New product development - working with clients to take recipes and food concepts from an idea and convert them into a commercial, centrally produced, high quality product with the required ingredient provenance, flavour profile, price point, and shelf life, whilst facilitating national and international distribution. 2) Review existing centralised and contract production partners and processes. Focus on reducing food costs and/or quality improvements by reviewing processes, technology, partner costing models, ingredient procurement, and establishing alternative partner options. Current projects include overhauling and updating NPD and existing recipes for South Australian meal kit start up Thomas Farms Kitchen. Total review of commercialization process of meal kits for Thomas Farms Kitchen including development of costing models and adaptation and expansion of home delivery meal kit offering for retail meal kit offering. Thomas Farms Kitchen is part of Thomas Foods International.



Mad Mex Fresh Mexican

• Australia
• Food and Beverage Services
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Contract Production Manager

  • 2011 - Sep 2014

  Adapted original Mad Mex restaurant recipes to centralised production format and established key Central Kitchen contract production partners in Australia and New Zealand to facilitate nationwide rollout from the initial concept store. Managed contract production partners to continually ensure adherence to Mad Mex standards (organoleptic and technical) whilst maintaining a focus on cost through investment in technology and improvements in process. Reduced Central Kitchen COGS to the Mad Mex network by 8% over the period. Also played key role in NPD from initial recipe development through to costing, sourcing ingredients, adaptation of process to centralised production, implementation of the process in the manufacturing environment, and national launch. Delivered Mad Mex IP to partners in a form allowing rapid and high quality execution, also involving on-site assistance. New recipes developed and commercialised include Spicy Beef Barbacoa, Salsa Verde and Enchilada sauce. Sourced Higher Welfare beef, pork, and chicken for national launch.



The Commissary Food Co.

• Business and New Product Development Manager

  • 2008 - 2011

  Key role in restructuring the Commissary business to focus on contract production for large retail partners including IKEA, Mad Mex, David Jones and Woolworths. Launched hugely successful ready-meal projects "Emily's Kitchen" and "House of India" with Woolworths (both brands now under Woolworths' private label) taking projects from trial phase to national rollout. Development of new products from scratch (from recipe formulation to launch) including IKEA chargrilled chicken breast, IKEA Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous, Emily's Kitchen Steak and Ale, Emily's Pilau Rice and many, many more. The Commissary's turnover increased approximately four fold in the period I was with the business.



Canteen Solutions

• General Manager

  • 2004 - 2008

  General Manager and co-founder of a start up national buying group for school canteens in partnership with Metcash. In addition to harnessing schools' buying power, Canteen Solutions focussed on supplying healthy, fresh, high quality food previously inaccessible to Australian schools. Supplied over 100 school canteens with food from boutique producers for the first time - suppliers included The Commissary Food Company, Salad Servers, Pronto Pollo, and Lotus & Ming. General Manager and co-founder of a start up national buying group for school canteens in partnership with Metcash. In addition to harnessing schools' buying power, Canteen Solutions focussed on supplying healthy, fresh, high quality food previously inaccessible to Australian schools. Supplied over 100 school canteens with food from boutique producers for the first time - suppliers included The Commissary Food Company, Salad Servers, Pronto Pollo, and Lotus & Ming.