Christine’s Bio:
Christine has a love for everything edible. Her natural curiosity combined with a knack for identifying, understanding and translating creative ideas into actionable businesses is her true passion and talent.
She has spent the last twenty years in CPG product development working on and launching blue sky and new- to-the-world food innovations. She has experience in multiple food categories, as well as a deep knowledge and passion for fresh foods and produce.
Christine has been interviewed and published in Vogue, SF Chronicle, Chef’s News, Progressive Grocer, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR’s The Salt, BBC and The New York Daily News.
She is lifelong learner with a degree in Journalism/Media, an MBA and continuing education at Culinary Institute of America, San Francisco Wine School, UC Davis Applied Sensory Science and Stanford Continued Education.
the story
Early in my career, I knew I wanted to work for companies that shared my values. This made it easy to choose between working for a meat company or a produce company, especially since meat was not part of my diet. I later realized there was more to this preference. As I advanced in my career, I also knew I wouldn’t work for companies producing chemical products that may be harmful to people & the environment. These were values-based decisions, which I held even when they weren’t commonly discussed. While many of my peers were focused on getting a job and making money, I quietly drew these lines and sought jobs that aligned with my values.
These simple principles—no harmful chemicals, plant based, and a singular focus on healthy food—formed the foundation of my career. As I immersed myself in the world of produce, I began to solidify my understanding of why healthy foods are important to me.
Overtime I :
Started thinking about why people crave fast food, sodas, and candy bars.
Gained insight into distribution systems, the importance of shelf life, and the reasons for adding preservatives to food. And ways around them.
Worked on business models and product P&Ls to understood the importance of COGs in making products profitable and affordable.
Understood more about government subsidies for crops like corn, wheat, rice, livestock, and dairy, and their risks to public health and the environment. And questioned why these subsidies are not given to fresh produce farmers.
Learned the difference between monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fats and their risks and benefits.
Became more informed about the dangers of chemicals in food, packaging, and other products.
Immersed myself in taste sensory to insure I could deliver healthy products that tasted good, were craveable and why.
Spent countless hours listening to consumers talk about their food preferences and decision making processes.
I could see early on that the odds were stacked. Between craveable flavor systems, cheap foods, and limited access to healthy options, it was easy to understand why people made the food choices they did.
I started thinking about these problems in the early 2000s when obesity rates were surpassing 30% among adults. In the 1980s, the rates were 23%, and fast forward to the 2020s, over 40% of adults are considered obese. To me, this is a growing public health issue, as many mental and physical diseases can be attributed to poor food choices and complications from obesity and other diet-related issues.
Throughout my career I’ve expanded my knowledge and built on my original foundation. I’ve worked tirelessly for multinational corporations, major retailers, family-owned companies, innovation agencies, small start-ups, and even my own start-up. In these roles, I have delivered creative brands & products, marketing strategies, business models and reimagined merchandising. My goal has always been to provide people with delicious natural products and compelling reasons to choose products that are healthy for the planet and its people.