Meet Carol

10/2/2009 5:10:48 PM | by Carol Lloyd | 0 Comments

I joined Mars Botanical after having developed more than 1000 food products, including industrial ingredients, foodservice and retail products including cocoa based mixes, syrups and beverages, as well as a variety of nutritional functional foods and supplements. Most recently I served as Product Development Manager at Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle, where I oversaw product improvement and commercialization of the company’s breakfast sandwiches.

Prior to Starbucks, I spent time as Research and Development Manager for Van Law Foods in Fullerton, Calif. In this role I was a part of reformulating more than 200 products for improved shelf life and cost efficiencies, which included drink bases, bar mixes, flavors and sauces, including Paul Newman’s salad dressings. I had a hands-on role, overseeing all phases of development from product implementation into plant production and quality control.

Other company experiences include: A. E. Staley (now Tate & Lyle) leading the Sensory Department; Hunt-Wesson Foods (now ConAgra), as senior scientist developing foodservice products, responsible for 2100 SKU’s; Director of R&D for SSI Foods, division of Simplot, working with major chain accounts such as Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and Burger King; and R&D Manager for Contessa Food Products, during which time the company retail sales rose from $5 million to $38 million over three years as a result of the growth of new frozen meal products.

My career has enabled me to gain extensive experience as a strategic planning and technical consultant to business owners and professionals developed during the time I owned Austin Food Tech, Inc. 1988-1998. During this 10-year period, I managed an average of 60 clients annually, and developed and reformulated approximately 700 products, from soup to nuts.

I served as technical collaborator for Healthy Oven Low-Fat Baking Book and Baking 911, and enjoy opportunities to serve as a public speaker on technical topics. I was a charter member of the Los Angeles Foodservice Women’s Roundtable, former president of the Consulting Chemists Association (1993-1996), and have held long-standing memberships with the Institute of Food Technologists, the Herbal Research Foundation, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (served in Brazil 1974-1976).

I earned my M.B.A. from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, an M.S. in Food Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a B.S. in Vocational Home Economics Education from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.