Christopher Davila Email & Phone Number

New York, United States

New York, Ny, Us

- Lead all R&D resources (including internal employees, consultants and co-manufacturers) to guideinnovation concepts from ideation and consumer insights, to benchtop production, to initial commercialproduction and scale-up as well as through post-launch problem solving and cost optimization- Find and build new relationships with best-in-class large-scale contract manufacturing partners- Manage relationships with co-manufacturers to ensure new innovation is launched on time, products undergo continuous improvement, cost optimization and that our food safety and quality assurance standards are met.- Manage the food safety and quality team members to ensure rigorous food safety and quality assurance standards are met and exceeded at every Milk Bar production site.- Ensure all products our hitting internal financial targets - Drive cross-functional work to ensure seamless and agile collaboration between sales, finance andsupply chain to support demand and align innovation and commercialization efforts with menu planning and marketing activations

New York, Ny, Us

- Build new relationships and manage existing relationships with best-in-class large-scale contract manufacturing (co-packer) partners to ensure consistent supply- Lead day-to-day execution of production of Milk Bar Grocery products at contract manufacturing sites- Define Milk Bar production standards and ensure those standards and product specs are being met with consistency- Ensure that future demand plans are translated into supply requirements, and plans for achieving that supply are established with clear alignment with manufacturing partners - Make certain the highest product quality through instilling continuous improvement programs with contract manufacturing partners and building a culture of accountability - Drive various culinary improvement and value engineering initiatives to improve product margins on all Grocery products - Build new relationships and manage existing relationships with suppliers of ingredients and innovative Grocery packaging - Manage product development team (both internal employees and consultants) to guide Grocery innovation concepts from ideation and consumer insights, to benchtop production, to commercial production - Support the incubation of new product lines in response to retailer interest, category insights and/or adjacencies representing opportunities for Milk Bar

Austin, Tx, Us

- Lead and carry out front-end innovation activities across all EB product categories; including finding innovative product concepts, creating new concepts and seeking new ingredient technologies.- Establish and manage a pipeline of feasible Exclusive Brands product prototypes based on category development strategy - Define and continuously improve the innovation R&D process including improving product gross margin- Expand partnerships with current co-packing network by building innovative product pipelines- Work with 3rd party ingredient suppliers to collect market research, understand new technologies, assist the R&D team and finding co-manufacturers- Collaborate with the WFM Sensory and Consumer Insights teams to further investigate consumer preferences and test product concepts directly with WFM shoppers - Develop, execute, and initiate product ideation sessions across categories

Austin, Tx, Us

- Supports the R&D and Private Label teams by participating in the identification, conceptualization, and design of new products that will help to differentiate the brand and contribute to category growth - Lead/support assigned concept development activities across multiple product categories including trend mapping/insights, scoping, vendor bench top/pilot plant prototypes, and coordination of required product aspects- Act as the liaison support between ingredient vendor partners and product developers on assigned projects- Develop and drive the innovation process including new products, product improvements, and gross margin improvements; encompassing product formulation and packaging innovations- Lead/support culinary activities (kitchen recipe development, gold standard profiling, etc.) in the Innovation Kitchen or at vendor partners’ facilities.- Seek to identify the execution of renovation opportunities, sometimes in conjunction with suppliers and/or private label team to reduce overall costs or improve quality of products- Identify unique product attributes and benefits to achieve brand differentiation related to seasonal promotions, LTOs, key business shifts, and new product concepts in assigned categories

Austin, Tx, Us

- Leads in the collection and assessment of information on buyer preference, competitor products and other business intelligence to make sound development recommendations on behalf of team.- Research and develop trend mapping tools and presentation to drive Exclusive Brand innovation- Work on R&D concepts and gold standards for innovative Exclusive Brands products- Executes product cuttings, benchmarking and periodic ongoing quality reviews of Exclusive Brands products.- Conduct research, perform data analysis and provide accurate results and recommendations for final products as necessary.- Track and manage product first production dates and requirements; resolve action items with vendors.- Resolve quality standards discrepancies and product quality concerns with internal teams and vendors as necessary.

Norwalk, Connecticut, Us

• Develop new innovation products for the Fresh and Frozen Bakery Division from benchtop to commercialization. • Manage and organize formulas and specifications in our database systems• Analyze and evaluate product specifications using laboratory standard methods (e.g. Sodium, Moisture, Water Activity,Texture).• Track culinary trends across baking to provide product guidance to our business teams. • Provide bakery gold standards to feed the front of the innovation funnel.• Work with and provide technical leadership to our cross-functional teams on projects requiring R&D support.• Collaborate with vendors to source and explore new functional ingredients and technologies.

Camden, Nj, Us

• Developed recipe gold standards for multiple cross-functional teams (Chunky, Pace, Condensed Soup, Innovation)• Created recipes using current products for retail and foodservice• Conducted product demonstrations to inform consumers on new and existing products• Researched food trends to educate fellow employees and use in recipe development• Traveled to food expos to talk with both foodservice managers and customers about products and culinary trends• Demonstrated recipes and culinary skills to educate fellow employees

• Prepared and presented all first courses on the menu• Designed and created dishes for the new lunch and dinner menu• Assisted the head chef and sous chef during large-scale events• Ensured that safety and hygiene standards were constantly maintained

• Assisted in the design of research projects such as surveys, group development and recruitment • Engaged in recruiting participants for a variety of research projects• Arranged and administered questionnaires to numerous weight loss groups• Entered and coded data in data analysis systems• Performed food demonstrations highlighting healthy ingredients and cooking techniques

Associate Of Science (A.S.), Culinary Arts

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Psychology & Political Science