Overall, I really enjoy the job, the NPD team are brilliant and large (there is about 20 of us working across the different accounts). Greencore work you hard but the benefits outweigh this. 

 

Key Roles and duties working in new product development at Greencore Way ​

• Product development- from trawls to finished product. We begin about a year in advance going on a trawl to major food events in the UK, recently I went to the the Christmas Taste of London for Christmas 2020 inspiration/trend hunting. We then work collaboratively with our development chefs to come up with some exciting innovation. It's not always NPD but also EPD (existing product development)​.
• Submissions- as a supplier to the majority of FTG retailers in the UK we have to go in and present our products to them. We work on accounts and each account (retailer) has its own team behind it.  Each submissions has quite a bit preparation behind it- from making your samples in the development kitchen to ensuring your nutritional and presentation is accurate.​
• Feasibility meetings- this is where you present your product to the main functions involved in actually making the product in the factory- from process, supply chain, technical, operations, packaging, finance etc- can this product actually be made within the production facility- some slight tweaks can come from this - can be tricky but allows you to become cross functional.
• Nutrition- developing a product that meets the nutritional requirements laid out in a brief. Is there claims we have to hit, calorie reduction etc​.
• Costings- a significant part of the job is about developing a product that is cost efficient and we own this aspect of the development - another cross functional aspect of the job where you work alongside finance and buyers where you try to get the best price available for ingredients.

 

Aisling Lavery

New Product Development, Greencore Way

BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition Graduate