R&D RADIO: Commercialization, Pilot Runs, and Scaling Food Products the Right Way with Jamie Valenti-Jordan
Jamie Valenti-Jordan, founder of Catapult Commercialization Services, explains the iterative nature of commercializing food products, emphasizing that founders must navigate trade-offs between product characteristics and safety metrics like water activity and pH. He advises against skipping pilot-scale production, recommending founders leverage equipment manufacturers' pilot labs to de-risk the transition from benchtop to full-scale co-manufacturing. Valenti-Jordan also discusses the strategic use of natural flavors versus whole ingredients and highlights that successful founders are those who listen to multiple stakeholders, including consumers and investors, rather than relying on stubborn internal opinions.