Degree: BSc Food Science and Technology
I started at Bakkavor as a Group Development Technologist based out of our head office in London. This role enabled me to be involved in group wide development and innovation projects across the business and meant that I got to visit a lot of the Bakkavor manufacturing sites. This helped me to gain a good understanding of the vast range of food products that Bakkavor manufacture and our capabilities as a business.
As part of my first year, I spent time working with the Sainsbury’s and Waitrose new product development teams at Bakkavor desserts in Newark, and also with the Tesco new product development team at Bakkavor Meals in London. The role meant that I had to be really flexible as I was usually working in a different location every few days; however it did allow me to work with a wide group of people and also build up a good network of contacts in the business.
I started my second year as a Development Technologist based at Tilmanstone Salads in Kent, which is an M&S dedicated manufacturing site. After 7 months of working there, I was given the opportunity to do a secondment at their sister site in Scotland. The two sites couldn’t have been further apart and I found the role challenging at times, but the experience I gained helped me to grow and develop as a person and really enhance my knowledge as a development technologist. My second year was a big step up from my first, as I was working closely alongside chefs to develop new and existing products within tight deadlines and presenting them to the customer.
As part of the development AMS training you get to attend culinary training days, which involve visiting different Bakkavor sites and spending time in the development kitchens. These days were not only a great way to get to know the business, but it also meant that I was able to spend time with the other development graduates. There is a real sense of community being part of the AMS.
Throughout my time on the scheme, no one day was the same. My role varied a lot; from making samples in the kitchen, monitoring the quality of products, typing up recipes, or presenting new products to the customer to mention just a few!
The highlight of the 2 years for me has to be the experience and knowledge of the food industry that I have gained having worked across a wide variety of chilled food categories and different retailers in such a short period of time. I am now working within the pizza category, where I was offered a full time role after completing the scheme.
If you love food, enjoy the challenge of a fast paced environment and you have a great can-do attitude, Bakkavor is definitely for you!
