How hiring a freelance food scientist can save you time and money

The food industry is evolving on a daily basis. Consumer preferences are changing rapidly, and the industry has to keep innovating to keep up. This is the era of superfoods, cricket bars, meal-replacement smoothies and organic foods. Large food companies have an in-house food scientist or a team of experts who can provide support while taking the product to the market. However, small and mid-size businesses often cannot afford to hire full-time scientists.

If you’re a food entrepreneur, you are likely to have a sound idea for a product and a valid demand for it. But you might might face various challenges getting your product to (and retaining it on!) the grocery shelves, such as:

• Sourcing ingredients from the right suppliers
• Finding reliable manufacturers who can scale up if required
• Making sure the shelf-life of the product is stable
• Reformulating products to optimize shelf life
• Labelling the product according to necessary standards
• Getting your product to the market quickly (especially important for seasonal products)

Hiring a full-time food scientist or food technologist can cost anywhere between $48000 – $72000, according to Recruiter. Hiring consultants on a short-term basis can help you solve these challenges at a budget of your choice. Over the last year, a variety of food startups have hired freelance food scientists on Kolabtree at an average budget of about $1500 and at turnaround times of 1 week to 2 months. Kolabtree’s food consultants are typically PhD-qualified and some have even had decades of experience in areas in formulation, packaging, labelling, and more. Through Kolabtree:

• The founder of a ice cream company in Atlanta found a scientist who helped optimize its consistency
• A California-based chef hired a scientist for help getting his candy product on the shelves
• The owner of a food company in New York hired an expert for help formulating a refrigerated sauce
• An artisan pasta manufacturer in Maine consulted an expert for help optimizing the shelf life of dried pasta

If you’re looking to save time and money while making your product ready for the shelves, get in touch with a freelance food scientist on Kolabtree. It’s free to post your project and receive bids from experts. Make the journey of your product from kitchen to market quicker, smoother and hassle-free.