Meet Ana
Creation Assistant Taste & Wellbeing
Ana joined Givaudan more than 20 years ago in quality control and sampling. She then moved to creation, where she has held different positions as flavourist assistant, lab technician, and creation assistant.
Chemistry has always been my dream; a lab is a fascinating place where I learn something new every day. It keeps me curious and motivated! So for me, Givaudan has been a dream come true.
Tell us about what you do
As a creation assistant, I support the flavourists in their day-to-day work developing new flavours for example for a chicken bouillon or for vegan cheese etc. I prepare formulas, the tasting of raw materials or flavours we which are developing. Then I connect with our sampling and quality control departments to distribute our new round of solutions to different stakeholders and to ensure we are consistent in quality.
Lastly, I ensure our lab is always fully equipped and functional, so I handle stock management of raw materials and equipment.
Tell us about your day
“The first thing I do when I arrive at work… is to talk to flavourists to define the plan for the day, and then I head to the lab to start preparing formulas. There are so many specificities for each formula: handling of raw materials, mixing orders, and proportions of ingredients. This is what I love about chemistry: the precision needed to create something that, in the end, seems so simple and tastes good!
At lunch, our office, in Kemptthal, Switzerland, is in a small town and steps away from the countryside, so on sunny days, it's easy to go for a jog or run an errand. But most often, I enjoy lunch with colleagues at the Company canteen, Givaudan is very multi-cultural, so it's enriching to get to know colleagues on a personal level.
In the afternoon, it’s back to my happy place, the lab! But this time, I focus on organisational matters: controlling the stock of raw materials and ensuring the equipment is clean and working. With many flavourists in the lab, it can get quite messy and chaotic, which can quickly become a problem when we need to be very precise in our formulations. Besides, if we miss anything, it causes delays in our project, impacting our customers.
And lastly, any advice or skills for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Check your work twice. Be precise, flexible, and stay curious. There is so much to learn in a lab.”