Blue Pacific Flavors

Quality and Control Lab Technician

City of Industry

I currently work at Blue Pacific Flavors, a flavor house that has their foot forward towards sustainable practices and encourages their employees to actively seek living a healthy lifestyle.

My main responsibility as a QC tech is to ensure the quality of raw flavor materials and compounds. My job gives me the privilege to taste raw materials that most people never have the access to. One of my favorite flavor compounds so far is Hexyl Acetate. It has a “Green” taste and replicates the smell of something similar to fresh cut grass. I hope to continue to grow with Blue Pacific and learn more about the exciting things that come to the flavor industry.

Power Brands

Procurement and Lab Technician

Sherman Oaks, CA

Power brands is a beverage consulting company geared towards helping anyone who wants to start their own beverage company. Power Brands helps startups with 3 rounds of formulation for their beverage, beverage labeling, beverage bottling, marketing and graphic design. They really treat their clients with a full package. While I was at Power Brands I learned a lot about documentation, and the type of documentation you need to make claims such as “Organic, Kosher, Gluten-free, etc.” and other important documentations like filing for allergens. I also got a sneak peak at formulation during product development and got the chance to help formulate new products. Though I was able to help in the lab, I was mainly in charge of documentation. Craving more experience to grow in a lab environment and expand my palate I decided it was time for me to move again. And this time to a flavor company.

Q&B Foods

Quality and Control Lab Technician

Irwindale, CA

My first job out of college took place in a Mayonnaise factory. At this facility, many different types of mayonnaise was being manufactured. Some name brands include: Best Foods, Kewpie, Primal Kitchen and the Ojai Cook. My responsibility as a QC tech was to ensure each bottle of mayonnaise met its standard quality. To ensure the standards are met specifications are set for pH, Salt concentrations, Acid concentrations, Brix, and density. I would perform a series of tests such as titrations and readings to make sure all the variables of the product feel under specification. What I loved the most was the amazing team of people who work hard to ensure quality products. I enjoyed my time at Q&B and new it was time to move on as I pursued learning more about the beverage industry.

Previously known as: Azuza Beverage

Microgravity Brewing

Co-Founder & CTO, Since February 2020

San Dimas, CA

During my senior year of college I had a wonderful opportunity to join a startup company, previously known as Azuza Beverage. A company that sells non-alcoholic beer.

Why did I decide to join this company?

I always had a curiosity in entrepreneurship and was excited to join a company that puts peoples’ health first. A non-alcoholic beer is good for those who need to drive home, for those who want to drink but have something important to do that day or the day after, or for those who would just like to enjoy an adult tasting drink without the booze.

This opportunity opened up my eyes to what it really took for a food product business to launch. I took everything I knew about quality control, food packaging, food product development and food safety systems and integrated a plan for this company. Although its going to take some time for these plans to integrate into the workings, I believe we are making progress and aiming at the right direction towards a successful product launch.

Though daunting to receive so much responsibility straight out of college, I was able to quickly prove myself worthy as I helped our company reach a goal of raising $10,000 in capital.

Interested to learn more about the history of our company, our accomplishments, and what we’ve been up to? Click the link below. Scroll down to “Beer lovers, rejoice”

California Polytechnic State University of Agriculture

Lab Assistant, Food Science Department

Pomona, CA

Imagine a white coat, blue gloves, clear goggles and explosions. Minus the explosions, who am I?

A laboratory assistant! Being a lab rat in a wet lab for my food science department was quite an experience. Previously, my experience performing laboratory protocols were in microbiology and biotech. This was my first time doing research in food.

My project was to subject tomato skins into different enzyme treatments in order to raise the Brix of tomato paste. Raising the Brix, increases the sugar content which means if we are able to break down tomato skins we can help companies increase their product yield. Receiving a grant from the Morning Star company, we did our best to make it happen. I prepared samples to observe the effects of enzyme treatments in correlation to the Brix. This opportunity made me more familiar with using a rotary evaporator and understanding how to perform HPLC. But most importantly how to be organized when handling data and how to be efficient when managing a clean lab space.

Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative Incubator

Laboratory Internship

Pasadena, CA

Fresh out of high school, I was eager to get my hands on experiences that would lead me towards my career path. Pasadena Bioscience Collaborator Incubator was the perfect place for me. I was able to witness many different researchers perform their daily tasks. I learned a little bit about each and every company that had rented out a space in that incubator.

While assisting different companies with their tasks such as performing their inventory and creating their samples, I also had the opportunity to work Quality Control on Student Amgen Biotechnology Kits. These biotechnology kits performed transformation, a processes of genetically altering a bacteria’s makeup by inserting a foreign gene. This was all part of a mission to support and expose biotechnology to high school students.

On a occasional Saturdays, the company would give high school students a chance to explore the incubator’s lab space. I participated as a volunteer instructor and demonstrated how to use essential instruments and how to be safe when handling samples.

Though I am still curious about research in the biotech world, my curiosity led to me research in a more specified field. Food!