⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

I still remember that massive tasting at the flavour house when vegan became popular, sweet and savoury products everywhere.

And at the end? We all had the same conversation: every single product was trying to copy something that already existed. Vegan steak, vegan ham, vegan chicken, vegan pudding - all trying to replicate the exact same taste and texture.

And guess what? They all failed. The texture was wrong, the flavours were wrong, it was just very unpleasant.

And it's EXACTLY the same problem with non-HFSS products.

And here's the kicker: these are treat products! They're pick-me-ups, they fulfil an emotional and mental need. But these reformulated versions just leave you with an unsatisfying taste compared to the original.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why trying to replicate existing products with vegan or non-HFSS versions is scientifically impossible
• The shocking truth about some plant-based products that everyone thought were "healthy", were full of additives, fat, and sugar just to make them palatable
• Why big food brands lost MILLIONS on non-HFSS products
• The real reason consumers are going back to eating meat after giving up on plant-based substitutes
• What you should be doing instead: creating something NEW, nutritious, and interesting rather than a disappointing copy

If you're a food and drink business struggling with non-HFSS or if you're a plant-based brand trying to mimic meat or dairy, this episode will show you why that strategy is setting you up to fail, and what to do instead to actually succeed.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

"Can you send me a few vanilla flavours?" If this is how you're briefing your flavour house, you're doing it wrong, and I'm telling you from experience because I've worked on both sides of this mess.

I've seen this exact problem again and again: when I worked in a flavour house, in the corporate food industry and now with my own clients.

Food and drink businesses ask for generic flavours with some iterations, but there's NO indication of flavour profile.

They let all the responsibility fall on the flavour house to decide which flavour profile is best for their product. And guess what? It doesn't work.

It creates hundreds of back and forth emails until you either give up, pick a flavour just because you have to, or completely cancel the product because you can't get the flavour right.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What a flavour house actually is (and why flavourings are your friends)
• Why you lose SO much flavour through processing
• The real problem: when I worked in a flavour house, I'd receive requests for "strawberry flavour" and have to choose from hundreds of options in the flavour library - and that decision should NOT have been mine to make
• Why letting the flavour house decide your flavour profile is setting your product up to fail
• The exact information you need to give your flavour house to stop the endless back and forth (I'll tell you what to include in your spreadsheet)
• How this connects to my CREATE, CHOOSE, and FIX packages and why taking ownership of your flavour profile is non-negotiable
  

If you're working with flavour houses or contract manufacturers and getting nowhere with your product development, this episode will show you exactly how to brief them properly and take control of your flavour strategy.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

 Got an Instagram question: "I'm creating a vegan product using rice protein and pea protein, which flavour do you think will work best?"

Perfect! Because this is exactly what I help my clients with in my CHOOSE package, and I'm sharing the process with you today.

Here's the thing: most plant-based products using pea and rice protein have nutty, earthy, roasted, and beany notes (and I'm not talking about lovely vanilla bean - I mean kidney beans, black beans... not exactly pleasant).

So if you just throw in trendy flavours without understanding your product base first, you're going to end up with something that tastes like play doh. Yep, I said it.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why you need to understand your product's flavour profile WITHOUT any flavours first (this is the game-changer most brands skip)
• Which flavour notes you want to enhance vs. mask in pea and rice protein products
• The specific flavours that work brilliantly with plant-based proteins (and the ones you should avoid at any cost - berries and vanilla, I'm looking at you)
• Why "caramel" or "chocolate" is never enough - you need to go deeper into the flavour profile (milky and buttery vs. dark and bitter makes ALL the difference)
• How to get creative by mixing flavours together to create unique profiles for your product
• The questions you need to ask about your target consumers before making your final decision (are they Gen Z adventurous or boomers wanting nostalgia?)

If you're developing plant-based products and struggling to find the right flavour direction, this episode will show you exactly how to choose flavours that complement your base, mask the unpleasant notes, and create something your target consumers will actually want to buy again and again.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Should your CEO or founder have the final say on your food or drink product? Absolutely not.

I've seen projects in big corporate food companies where a dozen multi-skilled people work for a year, do expensive consumer testing that gets approved, the product is ready to launch - and then the CEO tries it, doesn't like it, and boom - straight into the bin. Back to square one.

In this episode, I'm sharing why one person should never approve your final product, no matter their title.

You have to focus on objectives, not personal preferences. I know it's difficult when it's your baby, maybe it's a family recipe from your grandma - but you have to remove the emotional attachment and be analytical.

I'll walk you through how to actually validate your product before launch by relying on data and facts: Is the taste balanced and rounded? Does the flavour profile suit your product base (not just what's trendy)? Does it fit your target consumers' preferences?

You need to understand everything about them - what they eat, what social media they use, where they travel in London, what their breakfast looks like.

Because if you're not listening to your team and your consumers, your product and potentially your business are going to fail.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Why is it so hard to describe what you're tasting?

When you try a product, your brain instantly jumps to "I like it" or "I don't like it" instead of actually describing what you taste - and that's completely normal. Your brain is focused on survival only: is it safe to eat?

None of us are equipped to describe flavours precisely without training.

In this episode, I'm sharing why training your brain to taste properly is crucial for your food and drink business, and how to actually do it.

I'll explain how I use bespoke flavour lexicons with my clients (whether we're creating products from scratch, choosing flavours, or fixing underperforming products) so we all speak the same neutral language and remove personal bias.

I'll also share practical tips for training your brain: being more mindful when you eat and drink, and even how to practice with your kids so they can appreciate flavours from an early age.

Because here's the truth: if you don't train your brain, your tastings will stay stuck at "I like it" or "I don't like it" - and that's useless for product development.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Think using a lemon extract or cucumber essence will make your product taste natural? You couldn't be more wrong.

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see food and drink brands make - they assume extracts and essences are the holy grail of flavourings because they're "natural."

But here's the truth: even the most natural flavourings can taste fake, artificial, cardboardy, or chemical in your product.

In this episode, I'm bursting a massive myth about extracts and essences.

For instance, a lemon extract will never taste like actual lemon juice or lemon zest. And once you add it to your product? There's no guarantee it'll taste anything like the real fruit after all the ingredient interactions, processing, and shelf life.

Plus, there's zero scientific evidence that non-natural flavourings damage your health, but extracts and essences? They absolutely damage the planet.

If you're choosing extracts just for marketing reasons to look "natural" on pack, but your product tastes rubbish - it's time to rethink your strategy.

Focus on making your product taste great first. Because repeat purchases come through taste and flavours, not through what looks good on your packaging.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

 ⁠Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Choosing a co-manufacturer for your food or drink product?

Wait before you sign anything, you need to ask these questions or you'll regret it later.

I've seen too many food and drink brands make expensive mistakes because they didn't know what to ask upfront.

In this episode, I'm sharing the six critical things you need to know before selecting a contract manufacturer.

First up: who actually owns the intellectual property of your recipe? I had a client who realized way too late that their recipe didn't belong to them anymore, sounds completely bonkers, right? But it happens more than you think.

I'll also walk you through the other essential questions: Can you use your own suppliers, or are you locked into theirs? What are the MOQs and do you have to pay upfront? How long are the lead times when they're busy with other clients? Can they stock your product in-house, or will you end up with pallets in your garage like one of my customers did? And finally, do they handle distribution to retailers, or is that on you too?

If you're a food or drink brand looking to scale up and work with a co-manufacturer, these questions will save you from nasty surprises and costly mistakes down the line.

Don't jump into manufacturing just because you want to get into retail, think it through first.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Are your product tastings a complete waste of time?

If your team's drinking coffee right before, not cleansing palates between samples, or saying "I like it" instead of actually describing what they're tasting - you're doing it wrong.

In this episode, I'm sharing six rules that will transform your tastings from useless guessing games into proper product development tools.

You'll learn why you should never hold tastings after lunch, how your personal sensitivity to liquorice or bitterness is messing with your feedback, and why cream crackers are your best friend.

I'll also share the story of a client who doesn't even like the product we developed together - but their consumers? They're giving it 4.9 out of 5 stars and the sales are through the roof!

Because here's the truth: the product isn't designed for you, it's designed for your target consumers.

Whether you're a food or drink brand doing internal tastings or working with a product development team, these six rules will help you stay objective, understand your palate, and build descriptions gradually so you actually get useful insights instead of just opinions.

Stop wasting time and batches and start doing tastings properly.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

Ever wondered what a food scientist does all day?

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on my work as a food scientist and flavour expert.

I share what goes into creating products from scratch (hello, 182 trials on one plant-based barista milk!), choosing the perfect flavour profiles, and fixing products that aren't selling.

You'll discover why product development is 90% failure and 10% success, how I worked with actual baristas to test foam stability, and why rebranding isn't the answer when your product isn't performing, it's usually the flavour.

If you're a food or drink brand owner curious about the science behind product development, or you're struggling with a product that's not quite hitting the mark, this episode will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how flavour strategy and food science work together to create products people love and buy again and again.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.

When your food or drink product moves from kitchen sample to full production, it’s normal for the flavour, texture, or mouthfeel to change.

In this episode of The Food Lab Podcast, I explain why scaling up impacts taste, and how to plan structured tasting sessions with your co-manufacturer to fix issues before launch.

Perfect for founders and food entrepreneurs scaling their first product and wanting to keep consistency from kitchen to shelf.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast. Your review genuinely helps this podcast grow and makes it more visible to other food and drink brands who are struggling with the same challenges you might be facing. 🙏

💌 ⁠Subscribe to my weekly newsletter⁠. Every week, I break down the biggest challenges in food and drink product development and show you exactly how to solve them. No fluff, just practical insights from real projects with real brands.

👋 I'm Manon Galizzi, a flavour expert and food scientist with 10+ years in the industry, including training at a flavour house and working with iconic brands like McVitie's, Yeo Valley, Burger King, and Jacob's. I founded EPICSI to help UK food and drink brands nail their flavour strategy and choose the best flavour profile, especially for challenging formulations.If your sales are declining due to taste complaints, I diagnose what's wrong and rebuild your flavour profile. If you're launching functional or plant-based products struggling with bitter, fishy, or earthy notes from marine collagen, plant proteins, or adaptogens, I help you choose flavours that actually mask or complement those notes.

I specialise in clean-label, additives-free, plant-based, and functional food product development.

Unlike generic flavour houses or co-manufacturers, I provide custom flavour language training, run extensive trials (up to 200 per project), and guide you through every tasting and decision.

Research shows flavour is the #1 driver of repeat purchase. Get it right, customers return. Get it wrong, they don't.

Each episode shares practical strategies for food and drink product development, flavour selection, and fixing products that aren't performing.

👋 Connect with me directly on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ or via my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.