>>the highs and lows of a week in the industry
Jeff Nicholas, marketing and development manager at ethnic food manufacturer S&A Foods, says the key qualities his job demands are good communication skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure and to focus on priorities. And a large appetite.
“I have been to seven tasting panels in the last week. There can be up to 20 products to taste for a single panel, but typically it’s between four and six,” he explains.
Food lovers might think he has a dream job. And overall Nicholas is not complaining: “I love food and this company is the best place to work if you’re a big food eater.”
But there is a down side, he says with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek: “Early morning taste panels. Tucking into a vindaloo at 8am is not something I look forward to. Don’t get me wrong, I love curries, but not for breakfast.”
Tastings aside, he runs through his last full week: “Monday is meeting day - one-to-one updates on how the different sections under me, including the development chefs and the category management team, are doing.
“In the afternoon I looked at upgrading how we buy market research. On Tuesday we had our expenditure review and
then I spent the rest of the day looking at products which were due for launch in late spring and early summer 2004 - mostly new ideas at the concept phase.”
Wednesday, says Nicholas, brought the executive team meeting, followed by a review of all new product development, ensuring the schedule up to May 2004 runs smoothly.
After pitching for new business on Thursday, he watched two presentations from chilled ready meals suppliers on Friday. He then spent the rest of the day tweaking a new product: “We were concerned with how the product looked after reheating.” explains Nicholas.
jeff builds An appetite for work
Jeff Nicholas, marketing and development manager at ethnic food manufacturer S&A Foods, says the key qualities his job demands are good communication skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure and to focus on priorities. And a large appetite.
“I have been to seven tasting panels in the last week. There can be up to 20 products to taste for a single panel, but typically it’s between four and six,” he explains.
Food lovers might think he has a dream job. And overall Nicholas is not complaining: “I love food and this company is the best place to work if you’re a big food eater.”
But there is a down side, he says with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek: “Early morning taste panels. Tucking into a vindaloo at 8am is not something I look forward to. Don’t get me wrong, I love curries, but not for breakfast.”
Tastings aside, he runs through his last full week: “Monday is meeting day - one-to-one updates on how the different sections under me, including the development chefs and the category management team, are doing.
“In the afternoon I looked at upgrading how we buy market research. On Tuesday we had our expenditure review and
then I spent the rest of the day looking at products which were due for launch in late spring and early summer 2004 - mostly new ideas at the concept phase.”
Wednesday, says Nicholas, brought the executive team meeting, followed by a review of all new product development, ensuring the schedule up to May 2004 runs smoothly.
After pitching for new business on Thursday, he watched two presentations from chilled ready meals suppliers on Friday. He then spent the rest of the day tweaking a new product: “We were concerned with how the product looked after reheating.” explains Nicholas.
jeff builds An appetite for work
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