Lesa is the manager of the Seasoning Development Team at Frito Lay, a division at International Flavors and Fragrances. Her job is to develop and create new flavors for Frito Lay products. Whether via fan contests or internal development, if you can think of a flavor, Lesa’s team can create it!
Transcript
>> And my name is Lesa Underwood and I am the Manager of the Frito-Lay, Seasoning Development Team for International Flavors and Fragrances. Basically, we develop seasonings for snack foods, any type of snack food pretty much you can think of, and we file it through production and watch. One thing we have to learn is we have about 5000 raw materials in ingredients and that's one thing we have to learn. And, it's kind of like a cross between art and science because there's a creative aspect to it. So, not only do you have to know the science behind it but you have to have the creative side in order to know how to put these ingredients together to make a great tasting seasoning. Well, and actually, I do work on the bench a lot so I do some development but then I also manage a lot of projects with the other scientists and make sure that their projects actually are moving along and I help them put out any fires along the way and make the day go more smoothly. So, really an entry level position would be like a Flavorist trainee, somebody that you basically work under a senior scientist and you learn how to develop a seasoning, you learn how to work with the customers, you learn the quality behind it, the regulatory requirements, and it takes about 5 years to be proficient at it.
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