Ecotrophelia past participants; Where are they now?
Izzy Parks, University of Nottingham (2023- PlanEat)
Q: Your best memory of Ecotrophelia:
A: My favourite memory was showcasing and presenting our Protein Poppers at the UK and European final. It was a great sense of achievement for the panel of industry experts to enjoy the product we had developed, support us in our journey to the finals as well as congratulate us on our detailed dossier.
Q:How has participating in Ecotrophelia impacted you in your career?
A: Ecotrophelia has allowed me to network and build connections within the food industry. It has been a great way to learn more about the future of food and build confidence in myself. Having explored areas not covered on my course such as marketing it has helped me to see other areas of the industry I would like to explore in the future.
Q: Can you tell us what you do now?
A: I am currently working at Unilever as an Ice Cream Technologist working on global ice cream formulations with brands such as Magnum and Ben & Jerrys!
Q: When you participated in Ecotrophelia, did you see yourself here?
A: Before Ecotrophelia I knew I wanted a role within the food industry, but having competed in both Finals and meeting the other teams and judges it opened my eyes to the breadth of roles and avenues available within the industry.
Q: Top tips for participating teams
A: Everyone says it but enjoy the whole process! You may feel at times that you’re struggling, or the process is challenging you but be tenacious and keep going, it takes a lot of time to develop a product. As you start the product development process start thinking about all the other aspects for the dossier like the finance, marketing, packaging and presentation, planning ahead will make the whole process easier.
Q: Anything else you would like to share on your food journey?
A: Take every opportunity to get feedback and meet new people, networking this early will help develop your career prospects. You'll definitely bump into a familiar face or two in future interviews and jobs.
Kavya Krishnamurthy, Manchester Metropolitan University (2022- FiBar)
Q: Your best memory of Ecotrophelia:
A: The time I spent with my team. One moment in particular - The night of the submission of the dossier where Ojus, Hannah, Matt, Daniel, and I were on a call pretty much till 11.59 pm (the deadline was 12 am)! There was much laughter and much stress.
Q:How has participating in Ecotrophelia impacted you in your career?
A: I met so many wonderful people in different areas of the food & drink industry. My network expanded almost overnight, and I’ve continued to bump into so many of them. I also learnt how to network at such an event having never done that before! It’s initially a bit strange and nerve wracking, but you get the hang of it.
Q: Can you tell us what you do now?
A: I am a Food Innovation Technologist at the University of Nottingham’s Food Innovation Centre. We’re a consultancy helping food & drink businesses with food science and technical support in areas of product/process development or optimisation, NPD strategy, early-stage sensory benchmarking and sensory evaluation etc. I am also involved in some of the student NPD projects that eventually go on to enter Ecotrophelia so it’s exciting to be on the other side now. I get to work on so many different types of products and there’s always something new to learn every day. All my experiences, right from my early-stage chef career, to developing products for my family business, my MSc in Food Science from MMU, Ecotrophelia, and my stint with IFST as Scientific Assistant, have all come together in what I’d describe is my dream role – and at a University which is such a fantastic place to be! I get to work with businesses (especially SME’s and founders – who have endless energy), developing products and helping them with their product challenges, using food science and drawing on the expertise of the academics here.
Q: When you participated in Ecotrophelia, did you see yourself here?
A: I knew I wanted a role in NPD but had no idea I’d land here.
Q: Top tips for participating teams
A: Divide and conquer – pick one area you are good at within the team (e.g. food safety), and focus on that for the presentation. Let everyone play to their strengths. But equally, if its not something you’re good at, but someone needs to do it – it’s the best chance to learn and apply knowledge practically!
Invest effort in building a good relationship with your teammates and giving your 100%. Enjoy the process – it is difficult but this is the chance to apply everything you’ve learnt in your course!
Don’t be shy to ask for help and advice. As much as you can, from whoever you can. But ultimately, its your call and have confidence in your decisions
Q: Anything else you would like to share on your food journey?
A: The food & drink industry is a great place to be - whether you're working for a company or starting your own.
Jemima Wilgoss, University of Nottingham (2021- Econauts)
Q: Your best memory of Ecotrophelia:
A: My favourite memory of Ecotrophelia was presenting our product in the UK final, and being able to see what all the other teams had been working on. Our year was online due to Covid, so we hadn’t been able to spend time together in-person, so it was really exciting to finally be able to present our product to the judges. It was also amazing to see all the other teams in the UK and European final and see what innovation examples all the teams had been working on.
Q:How has participating in Ecotrophelia impacted you in your career?
A: Ecotrophelia was brilliant for expanding my network and allowing me to meet lots of amazing people in the food industry. It also allowed me to explore and understand other areas of the industry that I had not previously considered or thought I would ever work in.
Q: Can you tell us what you do now?
A: I am now a Graduate Food Technologist at Marks & Spencer. I have worked in different categories including Food on the Move and Prepared Produce. I now sit in the Ambient Celebration & Confectionery team which is amazing!
Q: When you participated in Ecotrophelia, did you see yourself here?
A: Looking forward from Ecotrophelia, I would have been shocked at how much I have learnt since then and the incredible opportunities I have had.
Q: Top tips for participating teams
A: Constant teamwork and communication is the biggest tip! We spent so much time together (virtually) and we wouldn’t have been able to build a strong proposal and product together without all that time spent with each other. It is also important to have fun as a team, it is a lot of work but a really enjoyable and exciting opportunity.
Q: Anything else you would like to share on your food journey?
A: Make the most of the network you build at university and when working in the industry. You will meet so many people and everyone is so happy and willing to help.
Szymon Lara, University of West London (2020- PLANT-UP)
Q: Your best memory of Ecotrophelia:
A: There is no single best memory that I have from Ecotrophelia, but if I had to be specific, then it would have to be the teamwork element.
Q:How has participating in Ecotrophelia impacted you in your career?
A: It has helped me to discover and learn of many new segments of the food industry.
Q: Can you tell us what you do now?
A: I am currently working as a lecturer at the University of West London. I am also pursuing a PhD in food business and Nutrition Science, this is in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Q: When you participated in Ecotrophelia, did you see yourself here?
A: At that time, I did not see myself anywhere close to where I am now.
Q: Top tips for participating teams
A: Triple check everything, especially your figures!
Alice Bryant, University of Reading (2019- Venergy)
Q: Your best memory of Ecotrophelia:
A: My best memory was when after hours of development work and research we developed our final product, that worked functionally and tasted great! It was a great sense of achievement and we learnt a lot throughout the process! 
Q: How has participating in Ecotrophelia impacted you in your career?
Ecotrophelia was a great induction to the food industry, it allowed me to network in the industry, learn about areas that were not covered on my course and build confidence for my first job! It gave me a lot experience to talk about in interviews and also helped me understand the area I wanted to work in within the food industry.
Q: Can you tell us what you do now?
A: I currently work at Pilgrim's Food Masters as an R&D Technologist working with great brands such as Richmond Meat and Meat free and Fridge Raiders.
Q: When you participated in Ecotrophelia, did you see yourself here?
A: Ecotrophelia opened my eyes to the opportunities in the industry and showed me how there were so many different avenues you could take. Competing in the final was amazing to be able to see how the other teams approached the task and presented their ideas. From completing Ecotrophelia I knew I wanted a career in food, and Its great the journey it's started for me!
Q: Top tips for participating teams.
A: Have fun, think outside the box and use it as a great opportunity to take to experts in the industry. We had a lot of challenges on our project, but you learn to overcome them and approach tasks differently. Try and use the presentation as an experience for the judges, bring them on your journey and make it as fun and interesting as possible!
Q: Anything else you would like to share on your food journey?
A: The ingredients we used on our project I now used today in the products I develop so keep all your notes and contacts as they can come in handy!
Other winning team members have also gone on to take up:-
- Product developer roles with leading global suppliers to the foodservice, in-store bakeries, retail and industrial marketplaces
- Food technologist roles with research bodies and global food and drink corporations
- Graduate trainee roles with supermarket chains
- Commercial roles with international manufacturers of fresh prepared foods
- PhD studentships to pursue their interest further.