At SVZ, we\u2019re passionate about creating high-quality, sustainably sourced fruit and vegetable ingredients \u2013 and it\u2019s our fantastic team that makes it all happen. From agronomy to R&D and customer support, every stage of the supply chain is handled with care.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why we\u2019re shining a spotlight on our colleagues and the work they do in a new blog series \u2013 to learn about their day-to-day work, motivations and challenges.<\/p>\n
First up? What\u2019s your background?<\/strong> In terms of my day-to-day work, I\u2019m mostly involved in setting up new product development projects, managing product trials and communicating with everyone from agronomists in the fields to the customers themselves.<\/p>\n Has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your job?<\/strong> What do you enjoy most about your job? What are you most looking forward to in 2021?<\/strong> It\u2019s thanks to team members like Marcel that SVZ can continue producing premium, tasty fruit and vegetable ingredients for leading global food and beverage manufacturers. Interested in learning more about our processes and products? Get in touch with the team today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At SVZ, we\u2019re passionate about creating high-quality, sustainably sourced fruit and vegetable ingredients \u2013 and it\u2019s our fantastic team that makes it all happen. From agronomy to R&D and customer support, every stage of the supply chain is handled with care. That\u2019s why we\u2019re shining a spotlight on our colleagues and the work they do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMeet Marcel van Boesschoten<\/strong>, our Product Technologist.<\/p>\n
\nI studied Food Technology at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, before then working for several cereal businesses as an R&D Technologist and Quality Manager. My focus there was typically on product development and working with raw, natural materials, which put me in prime stead for a role at SVZ! I started here as a Product Developer more than 12 years ago.
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\nWhat does your job as a Product Technologist involve?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m part of the Process and Product Development (\u2018P&PD\u2019) team, and I think we\u2019re often seen as a linchpin of the business! Our role involves listening to customer requirements such as achieving a specific flavour profile or texture, and then looking at the supply chain in terms of varieties available, growing areas and processing to understand how these requests can be achieved within a successful application. We\u2019re responsible for linking different departments together to ensure a cohesive process: from planning, to agronomy, to quality assurance.<\/p>\n
\nWell, my monthly visits to Spain and Poland to visit factories and farmers have now been replaced by WebEx calls! It was definitely a steep learning curve at the beginning of the pandemic, but now all of our processes are running smoothly. There\u2019s also been a new emphasis on knowledge sharing \u2013 as we\u2019re not there in person to set up products and assist customers, we need to train partners to store ingredients correctly and evaluate the samples themselves.<\/p>\n
\nProbably the variety of the role \u2013 my work is rarely the same day-to-day and I\u2019m involved with several aspects of the business. I also believe in and align with SVZ\u2019s core values \u2013 especially our focus on sustainability and creating healthier options for consumers.<\/p>\n
\nWe have two new projects launching this year which the team have put a lot of effort into, and we\u2019re really looking forward to introducing them to the market. The first is fermented ingredients, which really offer something new and tap into the prevailing trend for naturally produced, healthier food and drinks. The second project looks at how to develop fruit and vegetable ingredients that have a white colour and neutral taste \u2013 our formula has a lower sugar content for blends and also helps customers be creative with the final colour of their product. The entire SVZ team is really looking forward to adding these two new concepts to our product portfolio!<\/p>\n