The Million Dollar Palate - Sarah Masoni on the NexxtLevel Brands Podcast

Do you have a prize-winning recipe that you think could make a great product to sell at retail? The Food Innovation Center is ready to help you convert your grandma’s secret sauce recipe into a retail-ready, safe, scalable product that’s ready for the grocery store shelf.

My guest today has been called the million-dollar palate because she is leading that team that is able to transform your next big idea into a retail product.  Sarah Masoni, Product and Process Director at the F.I.C. in Portland, OR, has an infectious laugh and self-effacing humor that makes her a very entertaining guest.  Sarah works with food entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized food companies to help them create foods and beverages focusing on specialty foods. She has over 30 years of experience working in the food industry including quality control and assurance, research and development, product scale-up, ingredient sourcing, ideation, and product evaluation. She is a fellow podcaster, and teaches entrepreneurial classes at The Food Innovation Center (FIC) Agricultural Experiment Station is located in Portland, OR. 

The FIC is a resource for client-based product and process development, packaging engineering and shelf-life studies, food safety, and consumer sensory testing. Research work is conducted to develop innovative processing, packaging, and traceability technologies, and to address food safety challenges. The FIC also engages in scholarly research in agricultural economics and marketing. The Agricultural Development and Marketing division of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is located at the FIC, providing local, national, and international marketing access and development. Clients include producers, processors, marketers, and entrepreneurs.  The FIC is committed to taking food products to market and advancing Northwest foods.

In today’s episode, I speak with Sarah about her family background that led to her career, her success stories, and how the FIC is organized and functions to assist food entrepreneurs to get their dreams onto retail shelves.

The “NexxtLevel Brands Podcast" is hosted by G. Steven Cleere, Founder and “Chief Pot Stirrer” of NexxtLevel Brands. This show focuses on disruptors and thought-leaders from the Entrepreneurial Food, Beverage, and CPG Industry, but we also share tips from veterans and key suppliers that may help fellow CPG professionals achieve their goals.

Discussion Points

• Sarah’s background – academics and her food science dad
• Who are the clients at the FIC?
• Cyclical foods and development during downtimes
• The biggest challenges in this industry
• You can’t judge ‘way out’ product ideas- you never know what’s going to be successful
• $25 truffles and cricket ranches
• The FIC oversees 1200 specialty crops, 13 regional specialty centers, Farm to school programs, and more
• The pandemic and how it affected business
• Ecommerce and DTC changes in the industry
• The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast
• Sarah’s appearances – CBS Sunday Morning, BBC, New York Times
• You don’t need to be a Northwest resident to utilize the FIC
• Building in food safety at the FIC
• Words to grow by: “Get the Money” – whether you’re the entrepreneur or anyone else working in this area, you need to get paid.

Resources:

Sarah Masoni LinkedIn

Food Innovation Center at OSU

Email Sarah

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast at Startup Radio Network

NexxtLevel Brands Website

Steven Cleere LinkedIn