Is your product not coming out the way it should? Are you struggling to improve your line operations?
Technical Problem Solving
Challenging, complex technical problems excite me! I enjoy making complex problems, with a lot of factors at play, seem simple(r). I can join your team for one-off sessions, or take upon the challenge and dig into the details.
Thinking of a new product or process but want to know what information is already out there? I can execute a literature search or reach out to possible external partners to better scope out the space.
Doing tests and experiments is the best way to solve problems. But designing (and executing) good tests with reliable results can be tricky. I love to help you design and/or execute them!
Sometimes, all you need is a pair of impartial eyes to look at an idea or challenge. I can be those ‘fresh’ eyes!
Need some temporary support to manage your R&D team? Or need one-off support on technical challenges?
On-Call R&D management
Are you a small business without available resources for R&D? I can be your on-call R&D team. As part of a longer-term commitment, I can help with various issues that might pop up to help continue to grow your business.
Once you’ve grown large enough, I can set up your R&D team. I can help hire members and bring them up to speed in an engaging way.
Already have an R&D team but need interim management support? I can (temporarily) manage your R&D team to ensure your people can deliver high-quality work and continue to grow and develop.
Looking for ways to upskill your technical staff on the floor? Struggling to transfer knowledge about products and processes internally? Worries about losing expertise?
Custom Course Development
Whereas there seem to be hundreds if not thousands of offerings on the market to help develop the ‘soft’ skills of your people, your options are way more limited when it comes to the ‘hard’ skills. The ones you mostly learn while working on the job. If you would have a more formal technical training program though, new members can skill up more quickly and your experts will be better equipped to share their knowledge.
I won’t develop standard, pre-made, courses for you. Instead, I will work together with your team to design and set up trainings. Ideally I visit your facility and manufacturing to really understand what’s happening. I can then assist in giving these trainings, supporting your employees so they can continue to do their jobs.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Or looking for something that’s just a little different? Please don’t hesitate to reach out and discuss! Want to get to know me better first? Have a look at my about page.
Could I be a good fit for you?
Do you own or work for a small to medium sized business (1-200 employees)?
Does your business grow/make/manufacture food (or drinks)?
Do you need help within the research & development (R&D) space? – For example: recipe/product development, process development, continuous improvement, analysis of your products, people management in any of those areas, etc.
Are you not (yet) able to hire full-time positions within R&D or is your current staff too busy?
If so, I might be a great fit for you! Either schedule a call directly or send me a message using the form below.
How I Work
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Some Practical Notes
Location
I am based in the south of the Netherlands (Eindhoven area), a small country in western Europe. Luckily, for those of you outside of a reasonable travel distance, we can do a lot of work remotely.
In-Person & Remote
Some challenges are best solved in-person, others can be done completely remote, or with a mix of both. I’m open for all three scenarios, depending on your needs.
Language
Dutch is my native language, but I’m fluent in English. Depending on the scope of the assignment I can manage German and French.
Availability
Whether it’s a one-off two-hour consulting session or a year-long recurring commitment, I can flex my calendar. However, I am not available >3days/week for longer-term (>1 month) assignments.
Hi, I’m Annelie
Owner & Founder of FoodCrumbles.comI’m the owner and founder of FoodCrumbles.com, a website dedicated to making food science accessible for all. Also, I have extensive experience working in research and development (R&D) within the food industry. Over time I noticed how technical resources can be quite limited for small to medium-sized businesses. You might be too small to in-source these capabilities and external resources can be prohibitively expensive. It’s where I love to help!
There’s nothing that excites me more than learning something new and helping others out.