Food TechnologistGrowUp Farms

About Us

If you’re a plant-loving people-person who’s skilled at coming up with innovative ideas, and thinking outside of the box, then we want to meet you. But first, a bit about us…

We’re a full-scale, energy-saving, B-Corp certified, sustainably powered vertical farm. We’re on a mission to transform the farming system forever, so that everyone can afford tasty nutritious food, that doesn’t cost the earth. Literally.

In other words: we boldly grow where no one has grown before. Our state-of-the-art salad leaves are made possible by an incredible team of rocket scientists (see what we did there?), engineers, leaf whisperers, and a root network of fabulous people. Which brings us onto you…

Your Role

At GrowUp we’re on a mission to grow better food for all, by solving real problems that shoppers face every day. This means bringing to life pioneering new products that align with our customers’ ever-evolving needs and desires.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and dynamic individual to join our Product team and revolutionise our customer offering and spearhead the development of our ground-breaking products.

As a Food Technologist, you will be responsible for conducting trials on the Farm, developing new food products, improving existing products, and ensuring that all products meet quality and safety standards. Your expertise will be critical in creating delicious and safe food products that meet the expectations of our customers and regulatory requirements.

You will thrive in a fast-paced and collaborative environment, where independence is celebrated, and teamwork is paramount. Together with the Technical, Farm and Sales & Marketing teams, you will bring to life innovative products that align with our customers' ever-evolving needs and desires. You will help shape our product strategy and support in the creation of an exceptional range of offerings that exceed industry benchmarks.

If you are ready to take the fresh produce industry by storm and leave a lasting mark on the world of fresh produce innovation, then this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. This is your chance to let your passion for fresh produce thrive in an exciting work environment where our products and our customers are our guiding stars!

Key Responsibilities:

• Shop Floor trials: Plan and arrange trials with Farm Operations to deliver agreed NPD timelines. Flexibility and negotiation skills may be necessary. Attend trial runs, collect operational and product data as necessary as well as product samples. Rigorous traceability and hazard analysis is required to maintain food safety throughout the NPD process. Note that customers may be present at trials. Ensure outside analysis is sent out where applicable.
• Product Quality Standards: Assess quality of trial samples over shelf life. Collate all analysis results to set the product quality parameters in collaboration with your Technical colleagues. This will involve measurable objective KPIS as well as organoleptic parameters.
• Research and Development: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to research, develop, and formulate new food products. This includes experimenting with ingredients, flavours, and processing techniques.
• Quality Assurance: Monitor the quality of raw materials and finished products to ensure they meet established standards. Implement quality control procedures and resolve any product quality issues.
• Regulatory Compliance: Stay up-to-date with food safety and labelling regulations, and collaborate with the Compliance Manager to ensure all products adhere to relevant local and international standards.
• Process Improvement: Optimize food processing methods and techniques to enhance product impact, quality, shelf-life, and cost-efficiency.
• Continuous Improvement: Share ideas to improve NPD & communication processes.
• Sensory Evaluation: Conduct sensory evaluations and consumer testing to gather feedback on product attributes and make necessary improvements.
• Cost Management: Work on cost-effective formulations and processes while maintaining high product quality and taste.
• Documentation: Maintain accurate records of research, experiments, and product specifications. Generate reports and documentation required for compliance and quality control.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, sales, marketing, agronomy, technical and engineering teams to develop and launch new food products.
• Problem Solving: Troubleshoot any issues that arise during the product development process, from ingredient sourcing to production.
• Market Analysis: Keep an eye on market trends and consumer preferences to identify opportunities for new product development and improvements to existing products.