Product Development Intern

MyLoca Foods, Copenhagen, Denmark, 02/2022 - present

  • Leading nutrition and flavor-focused product development projects from concept to market launch.

  • Designing low carb, high fat & fibre rich Keto bread, snacks and breakfast products for the Danish market and testing the products with clients.

  • Improving existing product shelf-life and nutrition profile through desk research, analysis and laboratory trials.

  • Fostering the start-up growth by coordinating upscaling activities such as production operations, ingredient sourcing and packaging design.

Co-Founder & Product Developer

The Fox Co., Copenhagen, Denmark, 02/2020 - 11/2021


Fox Nuts/Makhana by The Fox Co.

Fox nuts are popped lotus seeds, an ancient Indian superfood.

Vegan, gluten-free and rich in antioxidants and vitamins.

A supercharging, tasty and healthy snack for guilt-free snacking.

About Fox Co.

I co-founded the Fox Co. along with my business partners to introduce a novel vegan snack Fox nuts or Makhana to the Danish market across B2B retail/ B2C online sales. Fox nuts are a natural and healthy substitute for unhealthy processed snacks. Designed exclusively for those snacksters moving towards a happy-healthy-tasty lifestyle.

The Fox Co. was created for conscious consumers to provide a healthy and tasty go-to snack sourced from nature, roasted into perfection, blended with our finest exotic ingredients into fluffy, crunchy and flavorful fox nuts. We sourced our Fox nuts from one of the most impoverished states in India, driving social impact to benefit the crafted farmers of Fox nuts cultivation.

We collaborated with the Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship (CSE) as a part of the proof program. This opened us to a web of business developers, lawyers, investors, industry experts and advisors who backed us in the start-up growth.

In my role, collaboration and enthusiasm carried me through a wide range of responsibilities, including helping to create the product and driving growth for the startup.

 

My journey as a product developer

  • As a research savvy, I developed 20 flavors with a unique combination of ingredients to spice up the sweet-salt- sour-bitter tastes together with a Danish sensibility.

  • Chose 5 best flavors, best packaging method and produced the best prototype for the Nordics, and designed our brand logo.

  • Designed product innovation pipeline, researched new trends, and acted on consumer insights to drive product strategy.

  • Conducted qualitative data to market mapping, competitive analyses, and business model development.

  • Organized pop-up stalls at various public and private events, tested and sold Fox nuts. Our best selling flavor was Magic Mint :)

  • conducted consumer behavior surveys before and after designing the product prototypes to analyze and improve customer compatibility.

As a Co-Founder

  • Established and coordinated cross-functional relationships with key Indian suppliers, Danish business partners, equipment manufacturers, and commercialization partners to support the startup development.

  • Developed strategies for production scale-up, supply chain coordination and commercialization to acquire new partnerships across the food value chain.

  • Organized panel discussions with stakeholders to improve product features.

  • Assisted in the documentation required for the novel food approval by European Commission and food safety standards.

 

Our Team

Apoorva Arya, MSc. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, København Universitet, apoorva.arya@circularinnovationlab.com

Ragini Neralakere Ashoka, Msc. Food Science and Technology, København Universitet, raginiashok94@gmail.com

Arpit Bhutani, Master of International Law and Economics, University of Berne, arpit.bhutani@circularinnovationlab.com