Kimberly Schaub is a research chef and senior food scientist at Griffith Foods, where she plays a pivotal role in business development with a strong focus on sustainability. With a unique blend of expertise in nutritional science, leadership training from the U.S. Air Force, and certification as a culinary scientist from the Research Chefs Association (RCA), Kimberly brings a distinct perspective to culinary arts, food technology, and agrifood sustainability.
In 2009, Kimberly founded the PeasOnMoss website and podcast, a platform dedicated to exploring the diverse pathways and successes within the food manufacturing industry. The podcast’s name, PeasOnMoss, is a clever play on the culinary term mise en place, reflecting her deep connection to food science and culinary innovation.
Kimberly’s commitment to sustainability is evident in her leadership at Griffith Foods, where she founded the Grassroots sustainability affinity group. Her dedication to sustainable practices extends beyond her professional work; she recently completed her MBA in Sustainable Innovation at the University of Victoria, further enhancing her ability to drive impactful change. At Griffith Foods, Kimberly is instrumental in piloting commercial team training programs and strengthening customer engagement strategies, ensuring that sustainability remains at the forefront of the company’s growth.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Kimberly is passionate about global travel and volunteers at Quillisascut Farm, a sustainable smallholder farm in eastern Washington State. A lifelong learner and advocate for sustainability, Kimberly continues to make significant contributions to the food industry through her innovative approach and dedication to responsible business practices.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us about Griffith Foods and its purpose.
Griffith Foods is a global product development partner supporting food companies to meet the evolving needs of consumers with high-quality, customized products. As a family business founded in 1919 and headquartered in Alsip, Illinois USA, the company is known for collaborative innovation guided by its purpose to “blend care and creativity to nourish the world.” Griffith Foods, operating in over 40 countries, is helping to catalyze and build a sustainable food system. The company’s product capabilities range from seasonings and marinades to coating systems and sauces.
What strategies do you employ to ensure that Griffith Foods remains competitive in the market?
Recognizing that our success depends on our customers’ success, we work to create value and ensure success by understanding, anticipating, and prioritizing customer needs. We build a mutual commitment to derive sustainable long-term value. We may be in the food industry, but our business is innovation. Together with our global partners, we strive to offer new culinary experiences, technologies, and solutions to help solve unique challenges and meet consumer demands. From ideation to production, our customers trust us to deliver delicious and nutritious food that has been sustainably sourced.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and adaptability within your organization, considering the rapidly changing landscape of the business industry?
Monitoring food trends is only useful if you can act on the insights you’ve gleaned. Year after year, we monitor, identify, and capture what consumers across the globe are craving and activate those learnings through new, innovative solutions that cater to your customer’s needs. From flavor and texture to nutrition and health, we’re focused on the food elements that matter most to the people you serve.
How do you prioritize customer satisfaction and ensure that the company provides exceptional service to its clients?
At Griffith Foods, Creating Better Together embodies our approach to collaborative innovation. We work side by side with our partners to help solve their unique challenges, providing consumer insights, applying our product development expertise, ensuring optimal quality through sensory testing, and ultimately delivering best-in-class products through our state-of-the art manufacturing facilities. Whether your goal is to differentiate through distinct flavors, textures, or appearance, increase your nutritious offerings, or gain functional advantages such as increased yield, hold time, or shelf life, Griffith Foods has over 100 years of expertise you can rely on.
What steps do you take to attract and retain top talent in the industry, and how do you encourage professional growth and development within your organization?
We believe diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity (DIB&E) is essential to employee wellbeing. We strive to create and sustain an inclusive culture, ensuring equal representation and equitable working practices throughout our value chain. Our goals are to achieve gender parity at the management level globally; and ensure equal representation, equal pay, and equitable working practices throughout our value chain.
We are dedicated to providing personal and professional growth opportunities for our people at all stages of their careers. Our bespoke Purpose Journey program encourages people to uncover their personal purpose and supports that discovery process. We are developing a strong learning culture with special focus on nutrition and sustainability training, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to grow and develop.
As Global Sustainability Business Development Director of Griffith Foods, what is your overall vision for the company’s future, and how do you plan to achieve it?
At Griffith Foods, we are committed to driving positive impact through a regenerative mindset. Sustainability is connected to everything we do as a business, and by 2030, we are dedicated to significantly improving the future with a singular sustainable business strategy that we call our 2030 Aspirations.
Our 2030 Aspirations Focus on Three Key Areas:
- Partnering to Create Sustainable Food System Networks:
We aim to build sustainable food systems that restore nature and improve livelihoods. This includes collaborating with customers, suppliers, and external stakeholders to scale regenerative agriculture and achieve net-zero supply chains.
- Developing a Nutritious and Sustainable Portfolio:
Our goal is to create products that positively impact people and the planet. We achieve this by offering raw materials and developing blends that meet high standards for nutrition and sustainability, enhancing our customers’ product profiles.
- Creating New Markets and Serving the Underserved:
We strive to develop nutritious, affordable, and accessible products for underserved markets. By leveraging our expertise, we open new market segments and promote health through consumer-preferred, affordable products.
What advice would you give to aspiring leaders or individuals looking to join the industry?
Take the time to identify your passions and core values, optimizing your superpowers and strengths, and recognizing areas where you aren’t operating in your power. Surround yourself with a diverse group of colleagues and friends whose backgrounds, passions, and skills are wildly different than yours. Ask questions first, and share your knowledge second.
If there is a job that you would like to try, try it. Build the capabilities that are common to that job description. If you’re 40% qualified for the role and are 100% certain you can learn the rest of the skills, then apply for the job. Meet the people in similar roles and find out what they love about it, and see if you do, too. Find out what they don’t love, and decide if you can put up with those elements too. You will bring a unique perspective because of your own experiences, and it will take collaboration across all sectors to positively impact our planet and communities.
Please visit: http://www.griffithfoods.com
