Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
If your product isn’t selling like it used to, it’s probably not your packaging or your price, it’s your flavour.
In this episode, I reveal the five biggest flavour mistakes that stop food and drink products from performing in retail, from weak or flat flavour profiles to mismatched brand identity.
Learn how to fix flavour issues, increase repeat purchase, and turn taste into your most powerful sales tool.
👩🔬 Ideal for founders and product developers who want to master flavour development and stand out in a crowded market.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
In this episode, I share the story behind leaving corporate R&D to start EPICSI, and why I wanted to bring creativity and purpose back into food product development.
You’ll hear what made me lose faith in the system, how the industry shifted from flavour to finance, and what inspired me to help founders create clean-label, flavour-first products that truly make a difference.
👩🔬 A reflective story about rediscovering purpose, creativity, and the reason we all fell in love with food in the first place.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
If your flavour brief sounds like “Can you send a few strawberry flavours?”, this episode will change how you work with flavour houses.
I share practical tips to help you write a clear, detailed flavour brief, define your flavour direction, and choose the right benchmarks so your supplier can deliver samples that actually fit your product.
You’ll save weeks of back-and-forth and get results that align with your brand and consumer expectations.
👩🔬 Ideal for founders and food product developers who want to lead their flavour development strategy and collaborate effectively with flavour houses.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
Most tasting sessions collect opinions, not data — and that’s why they don’t help your product improve. In this episode, I explain how to run proper flavour testing sessions that give you clear, objective insights you can actually use. You’ll learn how to describe flavours accurately, record sensory data, and turn feedback into a flavour blueprint you can reuse across reformulations and scale-ups.
👩🔬 Perfect for food or drink founders and product developers who want to taste like experts.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
In this episode, I share a true story that still shocks me.
When I left the corporate world to help smaller food and drink brands create cleaner, more natural products, other food scientists told me I was crazy — that it was “impossible to work without additives.”
They were wrong.
If you’re a food or drink founder trying to make your product taste amazing without all the unnecessary additives, this episode is for you.
I explain why the industry mindset needs to change, how you can balance clean-label ambitions with functionality, and what it really takes to find the right partners who believe in your vision.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Click here to download The Flavour Blueprint, a free guide based on the process I use with my clients to fix underperforming food and drink products.
Welcome to my 30-Day Podcast Challenge — a short, daily series for food and drink founders who want to create better-tasting, cleaner, and more successful products.
Over the next 30 days, I’ll share quick, easy-to-digest episodes on flavour development, product formulation and taste optimisation.
You’ll hear real stories from my journey — from working at a flavour house and with brands like McVitie’s to becoming a flavour consultant helping food and drink businesses solve taste challenges and scale products that consumers love.
If you’re ready to build flavour-led products that stand out on shelf, hit Follow and join me on this 30-day challenge.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📩 Get my free newsletter and join hundreds of founders and brand teams learning how to make their food & drink products taste better, scale smoother, and sell faster.
If you want to design food or drink products that taste perfect for your consumers, hit those repeat purchases, and see your sales go through the roof — there’s no luck or miracle involved. You need a flavour strategy.
👋 Hi, I am Manon Galizzi, a food scientist and flavour expert with over 10 years in the food industry.
In each episode, I share what I’ve learned from helping food and drink brands create new products from scratch, choose the right flavour direction, or fix products that just aren’t performing.
Because flavour isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s the number one reason people buy.
👋 Connect with me directly on Instagram or LinkedIn.
If this podcast hits home, don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and share it with a fellow food or drink founder! 🙏
Ever wondered why your launches show up on the shelf... but sales don’t follow? Negative reviews piling up? It might not be the flavouring that’s wrong — it’s the product base.
In this episode of The Food Lab Podcast, I’m diving into why your product might taste “not quite right” — and how fat, sweetness, saltiness & acidity shape flavour perception.
🎙️ What’s covered in this episode:
Why discounting base ingredients leads to flat and muted flavours
How overloading with fat, sweetness, saltiness or acidity can actually kill flavour profiles
Real stories from low‑sugar and non‑HFSS reformulations at a flavour house and big UK brands
💡 Taste Insight: More flavour ≠ better flavour
Too much fat, sweetness, saltiness or acidity can delay flavour release and overpower flavour characteristics.
It’s seems counterintuitive — but true: Flavours only shine when the base is locked in first.
If this hit home, don’t forget to follow the podcast, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, and share it with a fellow foodpreneur. It helps other food/drink founders discover the show! 🙏
🍪 Struggling with product development challenges? As a food and drink consultant with over a decade of industry experience, I help Food and Drink businesses perfect their flavour profiles, streamline product development, and unlock the path to retailer listings.
📃 Discover my Food & Drink Product Development services and get in touch to discuss how we can transform your products and boost those customer reviews.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📬 Get practical tips in your inbox!
Sign up for my free bi-weekly newsletter on food & drink product development:
👋 Let’s stay connected!
Join our community over on Instagram and LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes tips, updates, and flavour inspiration.
You’ve developed a product. You want to say it’s a "Source of Vitamin C" or "Vitamin C contribute to the normal function of the immune system". But the legislation around nutrition and health claims is a minefield⚠️ — and messing it up can get you in serious trouble.
If you're adding vitamins or minerals to your product, there's a right way to make a claim… and a wrong way that could land you with misleading labelling and compliance issues. 🧾
In this episode of The Food Lab Podcast, I walk you through:
✅ The only forms of vitamins and minerals allowed in your recipes
✅ How to calculate the right quantity of vitamin or mineral for nutrition & health claims
✅ Real-life examples
✅ The labelling requirements (yep, it’s not optional)
✅ Why shelf-life testing and overages are key to staying compliant
🔗 Useful Links:
Great Britain register on the addition of vitamins and minerals
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 ANNEX XIII Reference Intakes
Great Britain Nutrition and health claims (NHC) register
EU Register of Health Claims
EU Register of Nutrition Claims
Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode — and if you enjoyed this one, leave a positive review and a comment on Spotify. It really helps more food and drink founders discover the show!
🍪 Struggling with product development challenges? As a food and drink consultant with over a decade of industry experience, I help Food and Drink businesses perfect their flavour profiles, streamline product development, and unlock the path to retailer listings.
📃 Discover my Food Legislation Audit services and get in touch to discuss how we can transform your products and boost those customer reviews.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📬 Get practical tips in your inbox!
Sign up for my free bi-weekly newsletter on food & drink product development:
👋 Let’s stay connected!
Join our community over on Instagram and LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes tips, updates, and flavour inspiration.
Thinking of adding lion's mane, ashwagandha, turmeric or ginseng to your product? ✨ Great! But what can you actually say about their benefits on your label without breaking food law? 📜⚖️
In this episode of the Food Lab Podcast, I kick off a new series all about nutrition & health claims. From "high in protein" to the grey zone of "on hold" claims 🕵️♀️, I unpack what's allowed, where to find the right information, and how to avoid misleading your customers.
💡 Perfect for food & drink brands looking to stand out—ethically and legally. 💬
🔍 Learn the rules
📈 Avoid costly mistakes
🌱 Build trust with your customers
🔊 Mentioned in this episode:
Great Britain Nutrition and health claims (NHC) register
Great Britain ‘On hold’ health claims
EU Register of Nutrition Claims
Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode — and if you enjoyed this one, leave a positive review and a comment on Spotify. It really helps more food and drink founders discover the show!
🍪 Struggling with product development challenges? As a food and drink consultant with over a decade of industry experience, I help Food and Drink businesses perfect their flavour profiles, streamline product development, and unlock the path to retailer listings.
📃 Discover my Food Legislation Audit services and get in touch to discuss how we can transform your products and boost those customer reviews.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📬 Get practical tips in your inbox!
Sign up for my free bi-weekly newsletter on food & drink product development
👋 Let’s stay connected!
Join our community over on Instagram and LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes tips, updates, and flavour inspiration.
🎙️In this first episode of The Food Lab, I dive into one of the most common — and costly — mistakes food and drink brands make: choosing the wrong flavours.
❌🍓🍫
From misunderstood “safe bets” like vanilla and strawberry to the importance of working with your product base rather than against it, this episode is packed with practical insights 🔎 to help you:
✅ Improve your product’s flavour profile
🎯 Connect with your target audience
🛠️ Avoid development pitfalls.
Don’t forget to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode — and if you enjoyed this one, leave a positive review and a comment on Spotify. It really helps more food and drink founders discover the show!
🍪 Struggling with product development challenges? As a food and drink consultant with over a decade of industry experience, I help Food and Drink businesses perfect their flavour profiles, streamline product development, and unlock the path to retailer listings.
📃 Discover my Food & Drink Product Development services and get in touch to discuss how we can transform your products and boost those customer reviews.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode here.
📬 Get practical tips in your inbox!
Sign up for my free bi-weekly newsletter on food & drink product development
👋 Let’s stay connected!
Join our community over on Instagram and LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes tips, updates, and flavour inspiration.
🎙️ In this intro episode of The Food Lab, I share my story, what inspired me to launch EPICSI, and what you can expect from this podcast series.
From working in a flavour house 🍓 to supporting product development at major UK brands 🍪, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the bland. I'm here to help food and drink founders create products that truly taste good, do good, and connect with their audience 💡🌍.
👉 Tune in to hear how I got into food science, what drives me, and how this podcast can help you perfect your products.
💌 Want to dive deeper?
Read the full transcript of this episode .
📬 Get practical tips in your inbox!
Sign up for my free bi-weekly newsletter on food & drink product development
👋 Let’s stay connected!
Join our community over on Instagram and LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes tips, updates, and flavour inspiration.