Register now for our 3rd annual Expo West Mixer to celebrate the power of community and fuel your professional and personal growth

Sign In

Food Industry

The Power of Women in the Food Industry

by

Where Do Women Stand  In The Food Industry

The acceptance of women in the industry has come a long way, but not far enough. In some industries, such as the food industry, gender equality is still severely lacking.  The good news is that women can be empowered to make the changes necessary that will allow for a better balance in gender equality. This can be done when women recognize the power that they already have in the food industry.

The Power of Women In The Food Industry

Many surveys and studies have been completed that support the role that women play in the food industry. This research is showing:

Main Food Shoppers

The individual that normally takes on the responsibility of doing the grocery shopping is 71.3% of the women.

By Age Group:

Ages 18 to 24: it is 36.1% women

Ages 25 to 64: it is 76.5% women

Ages 65 and older:  it is 74.2% women

Main Food Preparers

Statistical figures show that it is 73.8% women who are food preparers.:

By Age Group:

Age 18 to 24: 39.9% women

Age 25 to 64: 77.3% women

Age 65 and older:  81.9% women

What Are The Statistics For Women In The Food Industry?

McKinsey compiled a report based on research for 2017 that clearly outlines the gender equality in the food industry, showing the following:

Source: McKinsey

What Are The Reasons For The Gender Gap?

Knowing what the figures are is a start. To take it, a step further is to determine why women are lagging behind in the executive roles of the food industry. There are some causes that are easier to identify compared to others. For example:

Hiring:

Hiring outside of the company is more favorable towards men than women in the three major areas of the food industry, which are:

  • Manufacturing:
    • At entry level positions, women are well represented.  First promotions for women are at 2.7% and men are at 10.5%
  • Distribution:
    • Lowest representation of women
  • Operators:
    • More progress has been seen in this sector compared to the other two. There are better rates of promotion.

Improvement Opportunities

There are some improvement programs, but less than what is found in other industries.

Ambition Gap

Research has shown that fewer women in the food industry want to enter into the executive level compared to their male counterparts.

What Are The Problem Solvers?

Although the current statistics are somewhat bleak, and the causes are challenging to overcome, there are several positive steps that can be taken to close the gender gap in the food industry. All of which upon success can create some extremely positive outcomes for the industry.

From The Bottom Up

By increasing the number of women that are hired at the entry-level, it provides more opportunities for in-house promotions.

Better and More Improvement Programs

Setting up lower-level employees for success at management levels with the right training and programs will provide a better pool of employees to choose from for higher-level positions.

Creating A Desire

If there are more opportunities for advancement within the companies, then there is more incentive for women to have a desire to fill these.

Leadership Support

The management level has to provide the type of positive leadership that treats women equally in the workplace. They need to allow women to have a voice in the company.

These are not difficult changes to be made but ones that will have a major impact on the gender equality that will not only serve to benefit the females but the companies within this industry.

The Four Tactics You Need to Engage and Retain Talent

by
women sitting at a table

According to a recent Gallup survey, only 36% of U.S. employees are engaged in their work and workplace. If that’s not enough of a reason to focus on engaging and retaining your current talent, then maybe the fact that 41 percent of the global workforce is likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year, according to the 2021 Work Trend Index by Microsoft, will seal the deal. After a year and a half of uncertainty in the world, a shift to remote work, and an increased risk of burnout, employees are tired, which means that now more than ever, we need to focus our attention on engaging and retaining our current workforce.

 

The Importance of Engaging Your People

Plain and simple, engagement at work leads to retention. Retention leads to more engaged employees, reduced turnover, reduced costs related to turnover and training new employees, and more fulfillment at work for employees. Engaged employees are loyal and the best ambassadors of your company and brand. They feel a stronger connection to the company’s mission and feel a sense of purpose linked to the work they do every day.

 

How to Engage and Retain Your Talent

According to research by Human Resource expert and professor of management at San Francisco State University, John Sullivan, 70% of millennials quit a job within two years of starting, and that was pre-pandemic! Millennials are quickly becoming the majority of the workforce and stepping into leadership roles and positions of influence daily as Baby Boomers get closer to retirement. So how can we keep this population of individuals and those coming before and after them engaged? Here are four ways.

 

Establish a Connected Culture

Employees want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to connect with their leaders and coworkers. Human connection deepens bonds and builds trust. Employees cannot operate in silos, and now that remote work has become a part of everyday life for many employees, any existing silos have only become more apparent.

 

Work to establish a connected culture across your organization and with your team. This requires being intentional with gatherings and touchpoints. Create ways to foster relationships and generate conversations. When people feel connected to their organizations and coworkers, in addition to the value they provide, they’ll be more likely to stay.

 

Be Flexible About Flexible Work

Flexible and remote work is here to stay. Whether that looks like a full-time or a hybrid approach, ignoring the fact that many employees enjoy and value this new way of working would be naive. Understand that requiring employees to return to the office with zero flexibility on remote work, something they’ve proven they could successfully handle for an extended period in most cases, is going to be a major cause of concern for people. Many employees don’t want to return to a commute and are more productive from home, so if their current employees don’t have flexibility on what work looks like, they’ll find one who will.

 

Define Career Paths for Your People

Employees want to know what to expect and where you see their expertise playing out in the grand scheme of things. They want clearly defined career paths and a direction to follow. If a person is coming to work each day, not knowing where their efforts will lead, it’s very easy to become unmotivated and uninspired. Be thoughtful and intentional with your employee’s expertise and career aspirations. When you show you genuinely care about your people, they’ll be more likely to care about you.

 

Bring Your “Human” to Work

Caring about your people goes a long way. Many of us come to work for the day, do our job, and go home. But it’s unreasonable to believe that when we walk through the door of the office (physically or metaphorically) that we can turn off every other piece of our lives. When we’re working, we’re still thinking about our children and pets, we’re still concerned about our sick friends or parents, and we’re still struggling with our mental or physical health, among so many other things.

 

Remember that we’re all human at the end of the day, and we all have lives outside of our careers. When we acknowledge that and bring compassion and empathy into the workplace, our employees will build meaningful relationships and will be more likely to commit their time and talents to us because we’ve committed our time and attention to them.

The Impact Of Motherhood In The Workforce

by

55% of U.S. mothers with children younger than 18 at home are employed full time.

The modern-day woman is still living with an age-old concept. That which is based on the belief that women belong in the kitchen and raising babies while the men are the breadwinners. Except in today’s world, it often takes two paychecks just to live an average lifestyle. Women not only can use the power of motherhood to further their careers in their chosen industries, but they can also use it to change the current working environment that Mothers deal with.

The Working Mother Environment

The environment that the working mother is subjected to is not one of their own making. It is one that the working world has created by what their perception of the working mother is. It is automatically assumed that the mother that is transitioning back into her work environment is not in a position to be an asset to a company.

No Such Thing As Flexibility

In general, there is no thought given to allowing for flexibility for the working Mom. There is no desire for making adjustments to accommodate her new role even if it would have no impact on the company itself, or even if it might be a betterment for the company.

Moms Are Caregivers

Not too many would argue that Mothers, by nature, are caregivers. The skills for this come partly from their maternal instincts as well as skills they have developed during their own experiences in the world. As babies go through their growing stages, the care that Mothers have to provide changes.

What Does Leadership and Motherhood Have In Common?

Women in management can clearly identify what they have learned from being a Mother that has helped them be successful in their leadership roles. Some examples are:

When to Stay Involved and When To Stand Aside

Mothers have to know when to push their kids to achieve certain goals in their lives. They also need to know when to stand back and let the kids take on the responsibilities that they are capable of. For example, a Mom may have to push to get their kids out of bed on time on a school day. But they are the ones that are responsible for dressing appropriately and making sure their backpack has everything they need for the day.

The leader in a company has to know when their employees need direction and also know when to stand back and let them complete what is expected of them. Employees have to reach a point where they can think on their own make decisions, and yet their leader has to be there in the event they are going in the wrong direction.

Flexibility

Motherhood requires flexibility. When one thing does not work with a child, then it means changing to plan B.

A leader has to be able to be flexible in the workplace. If a concept is not working well, then changes have to be made, and the leader has to be able to accept this without being set in their ways.

Balancing Personalization With Professionalism

Mothers of more than one child soon learn that each of their children has distinct personalities. As such, they have different ways of handling their kids.

This same concept applies to the leader of a company and the employees they are responsible for. Each worker is different, and the leader has to recognize their personality. Being able to do this allows the leader to use different approaches with each employee to reach the same goals.

  • Additional commonalities between the Motherhood role and the leadership role are:
    • Being prepared for the unknown
    • Resolving conflicts
    • Recognizing that workers have a life besides the work environment.
    • Empathy
    • Balance
    • Prioritizing
    • Time Management

When looking at the skills set of a Mother the similarities between these and the requirements for leadership are parallel.

Being Penalized For Being A Mother

First-time mothers who return to the workforce are often shocked when they realize they are being penalized for their new role in life. The penalties include:

  • A cut in pay while their male counterparts receive an increase in pay
  • No consideration for many meaningful job positions

The bottom line is Mothers in the workforce are discriminated against.

What’s the Difference: Venture Capitalists, Private Equity Firms, and Angel Investors

by

There’s a lot of business terminology out there, and it can get confusing to keep it all straight. For example, what’s the difference between venture capitalists and angel investors? If you need a straightforward explanation, so you don’t feel like a deer in the headlights the next time it’s brought up in conversation, look no further.

Who are Venture Capitalists?

Venture capitalists, also known as VCs, are private equity investors or firms who provide capital to high-growth potential companies, like start-ups, early-stage companies, or small businesses that wish to expand. Since venture capitalists seek high growth potential companies, there is often high risk associated with investing.

What is Private Equity?

Private equity is investments made from high net-worth individuals or companies in businesses that are not publicly traded. Private equity investments are often pursued to obtain a high return on investment (ROI). Private equity differs from venture capitalists because they buy and invest in different companies in different amounts of capital. Private equity firms usually invest in more established companies as opposed to venture capitalists who invest in companies in their early stages of growth.

Who are Angel Investors?

Angel investors are individuals who provide capital for businesses, usually in exchange for ownership equity. The funds are often a one-time investment to get the company off the ground or support the company during the early stages of business. Angel investors are typically individuals with high net worth who invest their own money.

How to Find an Investor?

As with most big decisions, do your research. Get clear on what type of investor you’re looking for, what you need, and what you’re asking of your investors. There are excellent resources online to help you search for angel investors or give you an idea of the best venture capitalists.

Want to join a community of women you can brainstorm ideas with and connect about topics like this? Join the Females in Food Community today!

How Females In Food is Working to Close the Gender Gap in the Food and Beverage Industry

by

From 2015 to 2020, representation of women in senior-vice-president positions grew from 23 to 28 percent, according to McKinsey & Company’s 2020 Women in the Workplace report. While the numbers are trending in the right direction, women are still dramatically underrepresented in leadership positions, and that’s not taking into account the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in the workplace. The most important action we can take to begin to close this gender gap is to acknowledge it. That’s where Females in Food comes in.

Females In Food is helping both women and women-forward companies connect and accelerate careers. We’re working to close the gender gap in the food and beverage industry by helping companies attract, engage, convert, and retain female talent and by providing exclusive member-only content and resources to female professionals. Here’s how.

Curated Content

Every month, we share original articles and sourced articles to help you become your best self. These articles are based on our monthly topic of choice to help you dig deeper into critical areas of professional and self-development. We’re here to help you boost your career, gain industry insights, and learn how women in the food and beverage industry are breaking the glass ceiling.

Job Board

Our job board with prevetted careers at female-forward companies is an exclusive benefit to the Females In Food community members. It’s our goal to help women and companies achieve their greatest potential, and we seek to accomplish this by connecting job seekers with exceptional opportunities in the food and beverage industry.

Job Search Accelerator

We recently released our Job Search Accelerator program to help you launch a successful job search that will help you find a fulfilling career. If you are tired of the constant stress around job searching and are ready to take a completely new and strategic approach to the process, then this course is for you. As a member of the Females In Food community, you’ll gain exclusive access to this course.

When you finish the Job Search Accelerator program, you’ll have:

  1. An actionable plan to successfully launch a job search
  2. All of the tools you need to implement your plan
  3. A head start among other job applicants
  4. Clarity around your next career move

Career Coaches

The Females In Food community provides a network of career coaches to help you navigate your career. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re ready to take on a big promotion, our career coaches will help you get you where you want to be.

Resume Reviews

When you become a member of the Females In Food community, you’ll receive free resume reviews. Yes, free! Keeping your resume up to date is essential throughout your career, whether you’re currently seeking new opportunities or you’re only looking to refresh your resume with new skills and responsibilities. Since our community consists of members of the food and beverage industry, they know what job seekers are looking for and how to position you and your experience to make you the most marketable.

Community

Behind every successful woman is a community of women cheering her on. That’s exactly what the Females In Food community is here to give you: community. Through mentorship relationships, networking events, job search support, professional development opportunities, and a community of women who get it, we’re here to lift you up, support you, and be your biggest career advocate. Finding success in a male-dominated industry is hard enough, and just because you can do it alone doesn’t mean you have to.

As a woman in the food and beverage industry, joining Females In Food means you have access to exclusive resources that will help you take your career to the next level. Females in Food is your best career connection. Become a part of the community today!

Four Ways to Ensure Your Hiring Process is Equitable

by

Research from Harvard Business Review shows that women feel they need to meet 100% of the criteria when applying for a job, while men apply after only meeting about 60% of the criteria. This statistic is backed up by LinkedIn behavioral data that shows that women apply to 20% fewer jobs than men because they screen themselves out of the conversation before it even has a chance to start.

So, how can you ensure the next time you’re bringing on a new team member that you’re doing your best to be fair and impartial and mitigate the disparity in these statistics.? Here are four ways.

Write an Inclusive Job Description

How a job description is written says a lot about the company and the job seekers that are likely to apply. It’s the candidate’s initial exposure to the position and the company’s culture and values. Writing your job description can be the difference between attracting a diverse pool of candidates and deterring candidates from applying.

Try focusing on what success looks like in the role and company values and beliefs, instead of a list of job requirements. Use inclusive and gender-neutral language and avoid kitschy jargon like rockstar, guru, or ninja.

Recruit a Diverse Pool of Candidates

Think about where your company is recruiting candidates. If you’re using external means to market your position, consider your partnerships with job boards and local organizations. Are they known to attract diverse candidates? Would a woman be just as likely to see the job posting as a man? Would a member of the LGBTQ community be as attracted to the position as a member of the black community? Dig deeper into the tools you’re using to find your candidates to ensure diversity before you hire.

Remove Bias When Reviewing Applications

Unconscious bias is when a person has unsupported judgments for or against something or someone. This implicit bias reinforces stereotypes even when our conscious mind considers the behavior counter to our own values and beliefs. Unconscious bias is common, especially when reviewing job applications. Ageism, racism, and sexism, amongst other things, come into play.

To remove bias from your hiring process, acknowledge it exists, and actively combat it. Avoid selecting candidates based on name, gender, or age. All qualified candidates should be given a chance to interview for the position without forces outside of their control inhibiting them.

Ensure a Fair Interview Process

The interview process is another crucial time to put your implicit biases aside. Give all candidates a fair and equal chance to showcase their abilities and why they’re qualified for the position. If you’re the hiring manager and you had a part in selecting the candidates, this is hopefully a no-brainer. But if you’re interviewing candidates selected by human resources or you’re not the hiring manager, make sure you’re treating all candidates equally.

Ask similar questions to gauge experience and skill set, and allot the same time and style of interview for everyone. If you’re in a position to influence the interview process, make sure there is a diverse selection of employee representatives conducting the interview. This not only shows the candidate the company practices what they preach, but it also provides the company with diverse feedback on the candidate.

How Females in Food is Helping the Food & Beverage Industry Become More Sustainable

by 
80% of food buying decisions are made by women globally, yet representation at senior-level leadership positions across the food and beverage industry is less than 20%.

This statistic is jarring, but most of all, it’s not sustainable for the future of the food and beverage industry. Angela Dodd, the founder of Females in Food, set out to change that.

Dodd wanted to help women advance their careers by removing barriers and supporting them along their journey.

There are everyday realities that tear women down and hinder their progress, leaving women feeling like the chips are stacked against them.

This lack of sustainability hinders the food and beverage industry as women seek to grow in their careers as new professionals through senior-level executives.

A sustainable food and beverage industry allows companies and employees to meet their current needs without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their needs.

Dodd envisioned an industry where women had access to the resources they needed to empower their careers. She imagined a network that would easily connect women with female-friendly organizations and a world where women didn’t have to choose between motherhood and career advancement.

Fueled by the need to give women in the food and beverage industry a voice, the Females and Food community was born.

Females in Food accelerates careers and connects women with female-forward companies. They exist to support women throughout their career journey, from women who aspire to hold a managerial role to women who already do.

Their mission is simple – to advance women in the food and beverage industry.

To help the food and beverage industry become more sustainable in supporting and advancing women in their careers, Females in Food focuses on three main commitments: cultivated community, career acceleration, and creating opportunities.

  • Cultivated Community: Females in Food unites women across every food and beverage industry segment and allows women to support each other, access real-time feedback, and form lasting relationships through their mentorship program and curated events. The community establishes intentional bonds and meaningful relationships to help women support women.
  • Career Acceleration: From job search strategies to personal branding to enhancing executive presence, Females in Food empowers careers by delivering resources for the everyday realities. They have resources to help all women, regardless of where they are in their career journey. By providing women with the tools to accelerate their careers, they’re putting them back in the driver’s seat.
  • Creating Opportunities: Females in Food works as a talent connector and provides visibility while advocating for change at both the company and policy level. The food and beverage industry needs to change and adapt to become more sustainable for women and their future. By advocating for opportunities to improve companies and careers, Females in Food is setting out to change the industry for the better.

Females in Food is committed to helping women advance in the food and beverage industry, including closing the gender gap at the top. Their initiatives empower careers, provide visibility, and help companies close the gaps across parity, pipeline, and policy.

They proudly work with employers who are committed to designing and supporting a better workplace for women and who understand that our industry becomes more sustainable and profitable when women are equally represented at the top.

Visit FemalesinFood.Community to learn how you can join the community today.

3 Supply Chain Pitfalls and How To Navigate Them

by
Emily Levasseur

The Females in Food Community is overflowing with astounding industry experts, thought leaders and innovators for the future of the F&B industry. Meet Emily LeVasseur. Emily is a member of FIF and managing director at Waypost Advisors. Their speciality is simple: Supply Chain. We are excited to share just a bit of their vast knowledge with you today.


Would you consider your business successful if you could say “our customers are hungry for more and we make good money serving them”? 

We think the same way about a Supply Chain. 


Defined as the activities, people and assets required to create and deliver products to a customer – from forecasting, purchasing, production, inventory management, warehousing and transportation – the Supply Chain is what literally executes your business.

At Waypost Advisors LLC, we work with clients across all types of industries that endeavor to delight their customers with their goods, whether they make and ship product themselves, or buy and distribute.  We help clients execute their best by giving them access to expertise that helps improve their execution and results, providing talented project management resourcing for key initiatives, helping them design the best technology solutions as they modernize their companies with ERP systems, and enabling them to drive waste out of their business operations.

We’ve seen a lot of different businesses and there are common pitfalls that plague many supply chains.  Read on for helpful insights!

Pitfall #1: Your Purchasing Isn’t So Strategic

Many businesses start with a good idea and grow from there, leveraging existing networks or rushing to find ways to execute and keep up with customer needs.  We frequently hear this is how we’ve always done it.  We’ve always worked with this vendor.  They know our business and our needs. We don’t have a reason to change.  All of these statements are likely true except that you may be leaving a lot of money on the table, and you may have unintentionally blinded yourself to risks within your supply base or other options that may enhance your good or service.

Suggestions to help determine if you have an opportunity to improve your Purchasing:

  • Run a market analysis for the goods you’re purchasing: Understanding the size of the market, the utilization (ie, how much demand there is for the products, relative to the supply) and the regional pricing drivers can be a very powerful way to understand where you have leverage and where you have risk.  This can help you negotiate better pricing and proactively source alternatives for constrained materials.
  • Put your key products out to bid: Once you understand the markets for your materials you can create some price competition by “bidding-out” your business.  This will entice incumbent and potential suppliers to sharpen their pencils on pricing and service offerings.
  • Have a strategy: It can be helpful to map your purchases into groups that have unique strategies.  Perhaps you have components that are more like commodities – they are amply available and fairly standard with a lot of purchasing options.  You probably have other materials that are highly specialized or rare and expensive.  You will likely have 2 very different strategies and objectives for managing the vendor relationships and purchasing of these 2 types of materials.

Pitfall #2: Your Inventory Isn’t Thoughtful

Inventory is a tricky aspect of supply chain management.  It is a key lever in the total product cost and service level performance to customers.  You have to pay for your inventory and then wait for a period before you sell it (and get paid), which ties-up your cash.  If you have too much or incorrect inventories, you risk having to invest more money in the inventory and potentially taking losses on write-downs.  Too little inventory and you may not have product available to capitalize on sales opportunities.

If you’ve been dissatisfied with your inventories (ie, you recently took a big write-down or foregone sales due to lack of product availability), read on and check out our case studies at Inventory: Not Just A Feeling – Waypost Advisors.

  1. Know the levers: Inventory management is fairly simple – as we like to say: “It’s just math”.  But it’s not easy.  Knowing the factors in the equation is helpful in understanding how to improve.
    • Replenishment Leadtime: This is how long it takes you to get new product from the moment you confirm the need (place a purchase order, confirm production, etc) until you have it ready to use.  It could include the required order leadtime from the vendor, transit time from port to door, customs clearance time, receipt and put-away at the warehouse, etc.  Imported products will take more time to receive and require you to have higher total inventory pipelines (ahem, and spend more money).  Local-sourcing may be more expensive at the unit-cost level, but when you consider how much cash flow you tie-up for long leadtimes, offshore sourcing may not be as beneficial as you think.
    • Anticipated demand in replenishment leadtime: This is your forecast, however you create it.  Whether you use sophisticated models or a simple moving average, you need some sense of what you will think you will sell during the period where you are waiting for new product.  For example, if it takes you 2 months to get new product from the moment you place a purchase order to a vendor, you need to know how much you think you will sell during those 2 months so you protect that quantity of inventory when you place the new PO.
    • Variability of your demand and your replenishment leadtime: This is where things get a bit more “mathy”.  No supply chain runs exactly as it should (or we wouldn’t have jobs, #amiright?).  If your average replenishment leadtime is 8 weeks, surely there are cases where sometimes it’s 5 weeks and other times it’s 12 weeks.  The same is true for demand; you may sell an average of 100 units per month but the reality is sometimes you sell 50 and sometimes you sell 150.  Understanding these variables is critical to calculating effective “Safety Stock”.  This is a buffer of inventory that can be set to cover the variation.  You determine the percent you want to cover, but be forewarned, higher confidence requires exponentially more inventory to achieve, and 100% is not possible.  Which brings me to the final parameter …
    • Target Service Level (confidence interval): In plain terms you can think of this as “I want to have inventory available for X% of my orders”.  Remember, 100% is not achievable because it would require infinite inventory.  You could say 98% or 90%, but each incremental percentage point improvement requires an exponential change in your level of inventory (and, ahem, the cost). It is MUCH more expensive to get from 90% to 95% than it is to get from 70% to 75%.  It is important to understand what is truly required to serve your market and not to over-engineer the service.

  2. Early detection is key: As with many ailments, being able to detect and react quickly will help mitigate negative impacts when something changes.  For example, your historical import leadtimes from China were 4 weeks from port to your door.  Suddenly a pandemic turns supply chains upside-down and your leadtimes slow to 12 weeks. You might be caught short on your inventory but the sooner you modify your purchasing habits, the less time you’ll spend with product outages.

Which brings me to the final pitfall:

Pitfall #3: Your Processes & Systems are Not Aiding Your Success

Many companies are modernizing their data and information flows with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and many are still running on spreadsheets.  Either method can work and by no means are we dumping on spreadsheets.  They are a powerful tool.  Either way, there are 2 key things we’ve observed that can be the difference between successful execution or painful, daily fire-fighting.

  • “Love your data”: A system (even a spreadsheet automation) can reduce the time you spend on a task if you let it.  We worked with a client who was spending 4-6 painful hours per week finding and cleaning data and putting together analyses to determine what inventory to send to their remote warehouses in their weekly truck.  They implemented a system that literally did this math in 60 seconds.  However, they struggled to trust the suggested transfers because there was something that always looked wrong.  They would say “the system doesn’t work” so they went back to calculating the transfers by-hand.  Sound familiar? 

Trust us, the system works.  But if you give it incorrect settings or bad data, it’s going to solve the wrong problem correctly.  When you implement a system, your role and responsibility changes from being the mathematician to being a programmer.  You’re no longer the calculator.  You’ve been replaced.  You need to employ a programmer mindset – you have to tell the system the right way to solve the problem.  Many people struggle to make the transition, and it’s costing them precious time and wasted dollars.

  • Know your processes:  The other error-trap we observe is that business processes are scattered or undefined.  For example: If you have 5 buyers on your team and each one manages 20 vendors, and each one has a slightly different process for how they plan/submit/track purchase orders and pay vendors, you have some work to do.  A system can be designed to only accommodate one way.  Everyone has to move to the same process.  Your teams will need to define the best process, address change management challenges, and re-train.

If you allow drift in your processes, you will inevitably end-up with a system that cannot be used very well. Companies we’ve seen that have not been able to capture the value of a system implementation did not do the front-end work to affirm their processes before they designed a system.  As a software developer once said: “You cannot automate bad processes.”

You can undoubtedly overcome these pitfalls with the right talent and expertise in your teams.  We highly recommend partnering with organizations that have deep experience in these activities and are able to quickly understand your business, help you fix problems, and enable you to solve the problems independently when they leave.

Check out waypostadvisors.com or our LinkedIn page at Waypost Advisors LLC to get connected and for a free consultation with a knowledgeable advisor.

What Does A Sustainable Food Industry Look Like in 2021?

by
Woman in a field taking notes

“As goes the fate of women, so goes the fate of the world”

Mars, Danone, McDonalds… all household names. And yet, we’ve had no idea how sustainable or environmentally friendly they truly are. For many years the food industry has been held unaccountable for its environmental impact, or at least far less accountable than its counterparts in oil, gas and transportation.

No longer. The 3 major corporations I just mentioned all boast exceptionally demonstrative Directors of Sustainability. What’s more? They are all female!

So what does 2021 bring the changing landscape of the food and beverage industries? The founder and Chair of the UK’s Meat Business Women, Ms. Laura Ryan, has highlighted that “diversity and gender balance should be at the heart of any sustainable and profitable business.”

Ryan, like many other industry leaders, cites equality as a pivotal influencer in the development of a more sustainable future. The UN itself has made gender equality the fifth agenda under their Sustainable Development Goals, explaining that “women often have a strong body of knowledge and expertise that can be used in climate change mitigation, disaster reduction, and adaptation strategies. Furthermore, women’s responsibilities in households and communities, as stewards of natural and household resources, positions them well to contribute to livelihood strategies adapted to changing environmental realities.”

Companies such as Hain Celestial are already leading the way, supporting farms, independent growers and food production plants in sustainable ways across the globe. One of the best examples is a Diana Food banana production site in Pasaje, Ecuador. Diana Food applies high standard sustainable farming methods (organic, community well-being, environmental footprint) in close collaboration with their producers: “Quality, food safety, and transparency are all part of our production process, from farm to fork.” If one of the biggest banana producers in the world can support a sustainable future for its workers and it’s wider environment, surely more can follow suit.

In fact, some have! An editor’s favorite is Copper Cow Coffee. Brainchild of Vietnamese-American, Debbie Wei Mullin, based in LA – Copper Cow Coffee is waving the flag for both female-run and sustainable businesses.

“Sustainability is extremely important to Copper Cow Coffee and what sets us apart from many other consumer coffee brands out there. We exclusively source from socially responsible, sustainable, organic farms in Vietnam and pay above the market rate to ensure that these farming communities can thrive and grow. We also use 100% biodegradable filters and recyclable packaging to drastically reduce our environmental impact.”

As one of the 2% of female-owned companies, globally, Copper Cow Coffee is the prodigy of combining female food industry mavericks, with sustainable and future conscious agendas. 

Fortunate enough to be exposed to all facets and nuances of this industry – we’ve seen a plethora of highly-qualified and exceptionally effective women take the sustainability baton and wield it with pride… now, we want you to know about them too! Get ready to be fired up, inspired and sending off LinkedIn connection requests left, right and center….

Paloma Lopez – Global Strategy Lead, Kellogg’s Masterbrand at Kellogg Company @palomalpez

Paloma is an incredible leader using innovation, brands, and people power to drive sustainable growth. With an expertise in the food industry, she works to create value for people along the supply chain and for the natural places that are touched along the way.

Jessica Sansom – Former Head of Sustainability for Innocent Drinks

Jessica is a leader in building sustainability strategies for the food and beverage industries and balances looking at packaging, water management, carbon management, workers’ rights and sustainable agriculture, just to name a few.

Elaine Strunk – Director of Global Sustainability for McDonald’s @ElaineStrunk

Elaine is driving change at scale through McDonald’s global network. Elaine’s expertise is at the intersection of technology, business and design to create positive change in the food industry.

Kate Wylie – Global Vice-President of Sustainability for Mars

Kate leads Mars Inc sustainable sourcing framework, socioeconomic impact strategy, work with the €120 million investment fund, Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming, and sits on Mars’ Sustainability Strategy and Policymaking Group.

Helen Browning OBE – organic farmer and chief executive, Soil Association (UK)

Helen was championing organic long before it went mainstream, ever since taking over her family’s farm in her twenties. Three decades on and she hasn’t looked back. Helen continues to run Eastbrook, a 1,500 acre mixed-holding organic farm, and is passionate about providing her animals with the best life possible. Alongside her role as a farmer she is also Chief Executive of the Soil Association, the UK’s leading food and farming charity. Helen has also put her name to two local ventures just around the corner from her farm in Swindon – the Chop House and the Royal Oak, both of which serve down-to-earth organic food sourced straight from the farm.

Kalpna Woolf – business leader and award-winning food writer

A former Head of Production for the BBC, Kalpna has founded her own media company, sat on the boards of charities and business partnerships and launched a program to help organizations promote diversity at the highest levels. But alongside her business credentials, Kalpna has a passion for food and has been driven to share this passion with others. She has been at the helm of food festivals, judged food awards, and is the founder of 91 Ways to Build a Global City, a Bristol-based initiative bringing the city’s 91 language communities together by using food to tell the stories of their traditions and culture. Kalpna is also the author of Spice Yourself Slim, a best-selling book on food and health that draws on her childhood of healthy, flavourful Asian cooking.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

Globally, women are the core food purchasers. As ‘stewards of natural household resources’, women must be part of creating sustainable solutions in the supply chain. Over 70% of food buying decisions are made by women – making us vital change influencers in the ways in which we grow, manufacture and sell our consumable products. The women listed above are just a handful of those who are igniting the flame for our sustainable food future.

Do you know some more? We’d love to hear about the women YOU admire in the food and beverage industry, when it comes to creating a bold & bright future. Send us a note at contact@femalesinfood.community

7 Cool Jobs In The Food Industry & The Women Behind Them

by
Women in Food Industry

Whether you’re looking to get started in the food industry or are exploring what opportunities are available to you, we have seven food industry jobs for you to check out. Plus, we have career stories from the awesome women behind the roles. The possibilities are endless!

Quality Engineer

What does the role do: A quality engineer oversees an organization’s manufacturing and engineering processes. They are responsible for designing and testing the company’s quality standards and processes.

The woman behind the role: Kathleen Trivette at General Mills. Learn more about her career journey into the food industry here.

How to get started: It’s best to have, at a minimum, an associate’s degree, but a bachelor’s degree is preferred. To move up the career ladder, you may need to obtain a master’s degree. Quality engineers acquire most skills through on the job training, including learning about the company’s processes and procedures. If you’re looking to grow in this role, starting in an entry-level position and working your way up would be the best place to start.

Senior Scientist

What does the role do: A senior scientist oversees a lab or the development of food products. They’re a research professional who demonstrates a strong understanding of the business, operations, food science, and the commercialization process. They assist in creating new products or technologies to help the business achieve its goals.

The woman behind the role: Gabriela Eyng at Rattin Mondelēz International. Learn more about her career journey here.

How to get started: A bachelor’s degree in food science, food process engineering, or chemical engineering is needed with a master’s degree setting you apart from other candidates. Previous experience with consumer packaged goods is usually desired.

Instructor and/or Private Chef

What does the role do: Instructors teach the art of cooking, including preparation techniques and cuisines, to those seeking degrees in culinary arts or those who are interested in expanding their cooking skills. Instructors can often leverage their expertise to also work as private chefs. Private chefs work independently to create meals and experiences for individuals or events.

The woman behind the role: Rachel Brumitt at Kinship Cooking. Learn more about how she got her start as an instructor and private chef and her perspective on the food service industry here.

How to get started: To become a cooking instructor or private chef, you’ll likely need formal culinary training. Depending on your state, you may also need a business license or catering license. Working in a restaurant to gain experience and expertise is a great place to start your career journey.

Category Manager

What does the role do: A category manager sells goods to the public or retailers. They work with marketing, research companies, supply chain, and commercial departments to implement and educate others on a common message and strategy. They’re responsible for vendor manager, product selection, product mix, product pricing, product display, marketing, planning, and inventory control.

The woman behind the role: Daniela Nath at CSCS. Learn about her career path and what accomplishments she’s most proud of here.

How to get started: Becoming a category manager typically requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in business, retailing, management, sales, or marketing. An MBA or master’s degree will set you apart from other candidates. Having previous experience in category management, merchandising, vendor relationships, product purchasing, financial analysis, or inventory control is preferable.

Owner

What does the role do: The possibilities are endless when it comes to being an owner. You can start your own restaurant, bakery, coffee shop, catering company, or whatever else your heart can dream.

The woman behind the role: Christina Whitney at The Confectionist. Learn more about how she started her own business here.

How to get started: The most significant thing you need to become an owner is passion and experience. There usually is no perfect or ideal time to start your own business. If you have the drive and the expertise, you can figure it out as you go.

Product Development

What does the role do: Product development involves a series of steps starting from the conceptualization of a product, and moves through the design, development, and marketing of a newly created or newly rebranded or design good or service. Designing or redesigning these products helps to meet the customers’ needs more effectively. Collaboration with multiple departments is needed throughout the process.

The woman behind the role: Liz Schmit at General Mills. Learn more about her role and expertise here.

How to get started: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, or biology is most often required. You can begin at an entry-level position, like a Product Development Specialist, where any experience in product, packing, or process development will set you apart from the competition.

Director of Global Operations

What does the role do: A Director of Global Operations oversees and drives optimization for internal processes. They focus on global analysis, sales, and customer service. Since their role oversees all operations, they need to have a strong understanding of everything going on in the business. The range of responsibilities can vary based on the size of the organization.

The woman behind the role: Alyssa Badger at Highground Dairy. Learn how she became interested in the food industry here.

How to get started: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a food industry-related field or business administration is most often needed. Previous experience in managerial positions is preferred, as is previous food industry experience. Working your way up the ladder within a company can help prove your skills and value.

Are you looking to network with professionals in the food industry? Join the Females in Food community! It’s a great opportunity to connect with women, learn more about jobs within the industry, and how women just like you got to where they are today.

We accelerate careers and connect women with female-forward companies.

Facebook-f Linkedin Instagram

Our Company

For Companies

Courses

Account

Females in Food strives to provide an inclusive environment and defines ‘women’ and ‘female’ as including all individuals who identify, or have been identified as women or female. No matter your age, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs. Whether you identify with any of these or none, we invite you to join our community. 

Can't see your company to review?

Let us know your company name and we will get it added for you within 24 hours.