Steffen Weck- Biography

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2 Steffen Weck- Biography Steffen Weck is the President and Founder of Küliñaree Food Business Consulting, a premier, full service resource based in Kansas City. Steffen s expertise in food business consulting is a testament to his dedication and track record of success in the food service industry. Before starting Küliñaree Food Business Consulting, Weck served as Director of Operations at Einstein Brothers Bagels from It was here that Weck developed numerous systems to control and improve the manufacturing process ensuring quality and achieving maximum profits. Weck achieved annual savings of more than $350,000 for Einsteins by aggressively managing purchasing processes and partnering with key suppliers. As Manager of Product Development at Sara Lee Bakery for three years ( ), Weck successfully led a multi-functional task force charged with resolving quality issues. The end result was a cost savings of $400,000. While at Sara Lee, Weck facilitated the interaction between Product Development, Engineering, Marketing, and Manufacturing to achieve project goals. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a BS in Business Administration, Weck also attended the American Institute of Baking. After he finished his degree, Weck managed the manufacturing facility of Kirchner s Bakery from , becoming Vice President of Operations after six years with the company. With more than 20 years of experience in the food industry, Weck s expertise in operations management and research development is virtually unmatched. Steffen E. Weck Santa Fe Trail Dr. Lenexa, KS Weck@FoodBusinessResource.com 2

3 Steffen Weck s Expertise Steffen Weck is in expert in Food Business Consulting. Not only has Steffen founded Küliñaree Food Business Consulting, he developed the company into a unique multidisciplinary resource providing both technical and business development services. Servicing manufacturers, retailers, entrepreneurs, and suppliers, Küliñaree Food Business Consulting has transformed hundreds of food ideas into marketable realities by providing Steffen s extensive experience, unbiased creativity, and comprehensive pilot plant facilities. Product Development Integrating your team with creative marketers, seasoned chefs, and disciplined food technologist, Küliñaree Food Business Consulting assists in both the strategy and conception stages. Our facilities provide a space for creative ideation and also allow our chefs to interact with you bringing to life touchable, tasteable food concepts. Process Engineering Using process improvement, Küliñaree Food Business Consulting will evaluate your organization in order to identify value-adding components from non-value-adding ones. Küliñaree Food Business Consulting uses tools from Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management in order to identify these constraints and help you come up with strategies to eliminate them. Improve productivity, profitability, global competitiveness, and sustainability with Küliñaree Food Business Consulting. Sensory Research Küliñaree Food Business Consulting has extensive industry expertise in the area of creative culinary and new product development. Küliñaree Food Business Consulting will assist in generating attributes and intensities that are statistically linked to consumer liking data. In addition, Küliñaree Food Business Consulting will monitor production variability, creating benchmarks and sensory specs. Through intense research, our staff will develop new and revised products for both the foodservice and the food manufacturing industry. In addition, Küliñaree Food Business Consulting offers a facility used for focus groups and market research. Co-Pack Management Küliñaree Food Business Consulting s contract manufacturing gives clients access to the most up-to-date manufacturing infrastructures and processes. Küliñaree Food Business Consulting will manage day-to-day scheduling, labor management, production, and packaging. Outsourcing manufacturing managements saves money, resources, and speeds production. 3

4 Product Retrieval Our Product Retrieval Service can locate and retrieve packaged goods for competitive analysis, focus group testing, taste testing, ingredient analysis, quality assurance, packaging analysis, new product research, and sensory evaluation. The coverage, flexibility, and speed of response of Küliñaree Food Business Consulting s worldwide product retrieval network are unmatched. 4

5 No More Jalapenos? No Problemo! Salmonella-Free Alternatives Lenexa, KS -- July 30, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE With the recent announcement made by the FDA regarding further instances of Salmonella poisoning linked to a jalapeno pepper in Texas, restaurants and foodies alike are scrounging for spicy alternatives. However, those sweating it out over the jalapeno crisis do not have to sacrifice the heat! Steffen Weck, Sr. Managing Consultant at Food Business Resource reveals some fiery competition. With a Scoville heat rating of more than 3500 units, poblano peppers come pretty close to being a 1 to 1 alternative. On the other hand, half as many serrano peppers can deliver the same punch as their cooler cousin. The Scoville Scale was developed nearly 100 years ago, and is commonly used to compare the relative spiciness of different types of peppers. Try swapping a poblano for the usual jalapeno in salsas, marinades and salads. Just about any recipe that calls for jalapenos can be substituted with poblanos, Weck continues. Because a recall will not ensure the removal of all Salmonella-laden jalapenos currently contaminating the nation s food supply, the FDA recommends that consumers avoid all raw jalapenos until further notice to prevent salmonella poisoning. Until jalapenos are safely available to consumers, there are plenty of ways to keep the heat in their favorite recipes, says Weck. ABOUT FOOD BUSINESS RESOURCE Food Business Resource is a unique, multi-disciplinary resource, offering both technical and business development services. By pioneering innovation and launching categorydefining products, Food Business Resource has led industry groups and worked on some of the most recognized brand names in the world. Media Contact Steffen Weck Phone: Weck@FoodBusinessResource.com Agency Contact Chasidy Atchison The Joel Warady Group Phone: chasidy@joelwarady.com 5

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9 No Limits? No Thanks! by Steffen Weck Posted: June 26, 2008 Why saying no can be a good thing. Not many people like to hear the word no. Most of us don t care for I don t think we can make that happen right now, or That s not within our area of expertise, or I don t have that information, either. But when it comes to creating a successful brand owner/co-packer relationship, embracing the limitations of each party can inspire creative problem solving and cut down considerably on future production snags. To get a clear picture of the expectations on either side, a discussion of limitations (not just the financial ones) early on isn t a bad idea. It s nice to hear what a co-packer can do for you, but to improve your odds of successful commercialization, it s crucial to understand what a manufacturer can t do limited access to capital, nagging infrastructure challenges, or a need for potential formulation assistance are all limitations that tell the whole story. Taking Care of Your Side of the Street The main responsibility of any brand owner is to fully understand what the consumer wants and then develop products to determined specifications. The best way to successfully accomplish this is to execute exhaustive consumer research and sensory testing via prototype samples. The ultimate goal is to uncover the attributes that will drive consumer acceptance and then to deliver the goods literally. If the brand owner is well armed with the proper background information and has done the homework, he can then have an informed dialogue with potential manufacturers to determine if a product with the selected features can be produced in accordance with the manufacturer s processing capabilities. Of course, the more thorough a brand owner can be before approaching a potential manufacturer, the better. If there are holes in research or field tests due to the brand owner s limitations (there s that magic word) because of outdated data or limited funds for research, for example, communicating this to the manufacturer is key. If the manufacturer is one with years of experience, they may in fact be able to suggest options for the product that would please the broadest audience according to past experience with similar items. 9

10 As a brand owner, if you ve found a solid manufacturer with a proven track record who can also contribute positively to your decision-making process, hang onto them. When brand owners and manufacturers creatively collaborate, limitations can start to look like opportunities. Capacity reductions could end up improving your bottom line; a narrower range of packaging options might lead to a better-looking product. Full Disclosure While the onus of delivering product specifications is on the brand owner, the manufacturer has an equally important burden of responsibility. It s absolutely paramount that both parties understand what the production process needs to look like in order to manufacture the product at a satisfactory price. It s the job of the manufacturer to be clear about the limitations of his facility and capabilities from the start. Capacity is always a critical issue that must certainly be understood early, but if the manufacturer can t even produce the correct product, capacity is meaningless. Once the commercialization process begins, an honest, ongoing dialogue between the two parties will improve the end result. If the lines of communication are open, brand owner and manufacturer can then refer to the consumer data that was provided in the beginning to ensure that the product being produced is delivering the correct attributes. This is why allowing a trusted manufacturer to have a voice in the process is a key driver to the success of product commercialization. Brand owners often forget that the manufacturer usually has a track record delivering the products under consideration they ve likely been through similar trials and tribulations already. By allowing the co-packer to provide input early in the process, you can save precious line time and frustration. You ve got more important things to do than to sit around trying to re-invent the wheel or the granola bar, the chip bag, the frozen dinner box, etc. Candid Talk = Clear Picture A candid discussion regarding the limitations of both parties cuts down on friction as the process continues. If the manufacturer has strict policies regarding the accommodation of emergency orders, special requests, or requests to increase unit production, a brand owner with a serious growth projection or a fickle market might need to look at other options, even if the manufacturer is high on his list of potential co-packers. If the co-packer s limitations are too strict for the project on the table now, there s a good chance they ll be a better fit in the future. Certain limitations don t have to be seen as negative right off the bat. If you re a brand owner who is willing to be open-minded and engage in some critical problem 10

11 solving with a potential co-packer, it could just be the beginning of a successful partnership. Steffen Weck is founder of consulting firm Food Business Consulting, a full-service, concept-through-commercialization resource based in Kansas City since Steffen has more than 20 years of experience in the food industry, in both research and development and operations management with numerous consumer product companies, including Sara Lee, Vicorp and Einstein / Noah. He can be reached at weck@ foodbusinessresource.com Steffen Weck 11

12 Contact Steffen Weck Phone: Santa Fe Trail Dr. Lenexa, KS Website: