A KICK-ASS WOMAN IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY…

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In partnership with CBD Marketing’s Kick-Ass Women
movement and Putman Media, Food Processing is
proud to present Words of Wisdom from Kick-Ass
Women in Food.
At Food Processing, we define a Kick-Ass Woman as
someone who isn’t afraid to be powerful, push harder
and blaze trails—in the food industry and beyond. She
looks at the world differently and unapologetically. And
she isn’t afraid to shake things up.
Of course, there are multitudes of Kick-Ass
Women in Food. So, to find the cream of
the crop, we asked professionals in
the food and beverage industry to
nominate colleagues, mentors and
leaders who they believe embody
the criteria above and much more.
A KICK-ASS WOMAN IN
THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE
INDUSTRY…
• Is a respected leader
• Has accomplished something
that has moved the whole
industry forward
• Fosters the growth of other
women in the industry
• Demonstrates thought leadership
Bon appetit!
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Food Processing’s 2016 Kick-Ass Women
in the Food and Beverage Industry
Meet the 15 truly Kick-Ass Women who are sharing their wisdom with us.
Trisha Anderson
President and Owner
Frontier Soups
Kelly Austin
Vice President,
Strategic Accounts
Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc.
Angie Bastian
Cofounder and Owner
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP
Roxi Beck
Vice President
CMA Consulting Services
Patricia Hauser
Vice President,
Global Beverage Development
Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
QUESTIONS
Question 1:
What is your professional mantra?
Jill Litwin
Founder and
Chief Executive Officer
Peas of Mind
Gale Myers
Technical Support Manager
Sensient Food Colors
Cindy Rhodes
Chief Executive Officer
and Owner
Cape Cod Select®
Premium Cranberries
Jeannine Sacco
Chief Food Officer
Grainful
Jeannene
Schaffnit
Plant Manager
Pinnacle Foods, Inc.
Question 2:
What are the most valuable
lessons you have learned
throughout your career?
Question 3:
Kantha
Shelke, Ph.D.
Food Scientist and Principal
Corvus Blue LLC
Traci Takacs
Founder
Federal Ingredients
Sandy Toney
Vice President, Corporate
Quality and Product
Development
Masters Gallery Foods, Inc.
Shazi Visram
Founder and Chief
Executive Officer
Happy Family Brands
Darcy Zbinovec
Chief Executive Officer
Among Friends
Baking Mixes
What advice would you offer to
young women entering the food
and beverage industry?
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Jeannene Schaffnit
Plant Manager, Pinnacle Foods
“You attract what you generate.” If
you exude enthusiasm, adopt a positive
attitude toward people, welcome differing
perspectives, delight in new challenges
and unreservedly share information and
accolades, you’ll develop a strong team
and accomplish amazing things. Nothing
fosters failure like viewing people as
problems, perceiving differing opinions as
insubordination, or relinquishing personal
ownership by blaming others. Even
through the darkest times, when it is easy
to become negative, I mindfully assume
positive intent, unless proven otherwise. I
embrace challenges as opportunities and
differences in thinking as the magic needed
to find creative solutions.
Jeannine Sacco
Chief Food Officer, Grainful
Being passionate about
what I do for a living is
what gets me out of bed
every day. My dad always
said, “If you don’t love
what you do or no longer
are passionate about
what you are doing, you
need to make a change.”
It isn’t helpful to anyone
if you stay where you are
and are miserable at the
same time. Love what
you do, because even on
the hard days you find
something to smile about.
Patricia Hauser
Vice President, Global Beverage Development
Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.
My professional mantra is short and
sweet: Expect great things from yourself
and others—nothing less. In my career
and my current role leading beverage
development at Keurig Green Mountain,
I’ve found that the path to success is
through a clever, collaborative and, of
course, kick-ass team. We work hard to
constantly bring people the beverages
they crave at the touch of a button—and
that takes a powerhouse of diverse, driven
dynamos to make it happen every day.
When it comes down to it, behind every
kick-ass woman is a kick-ass team.
Shazi Visram
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Happy Family Brands
Make it meaningful.
We each have control
over how we spend our
time and energy. I think it
is empowering to realize
that and make the most
of everything.
Kelly Austin
Vice President, Strategic Accounts
Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc.
Work hard, don’t make excuses,
appreciate others and always seek
to learn and understand—success
will follow.
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Kelly Austin
Vice President, Strategic Accounts
Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc.
A lesson I learned early
on was that everyone has
their own priorities and
expectations and that will
drive their actions. Realize
that no one cares about
your priorities as much as
you do. This can apply to
simple tasks on your to-do
list, a project at work, your
career path or your values.
This is simply a fact of life.
Know what is important to
you and make it happen.
Own the outcome.
Jeannine Sacco
Chief Food Officer, Grainful
One of my mentors for the past seven
years has a saying that I will never forget,
and I always share it with others: There
are three decisions you can make, and
only one of them is the wrong decision
every time.
1. Making the right decision.
2. Making the wrong decision.
3. NOT making a decision at all.
When you make the wrong decision, as
long as you are able to acknowledge it,
learn from it and never make it twice, you
will persevere.
BUT when you choose NOT to make a
decision, you can’t move forward, things
stop and ultimately you will fail. Never
choose to not make a decision.
Darcy Zbinovec
Chief Executive Officer
Among Friends Baking Mixes
I don’t think in terms of failure. Life
has a funny way of giving you what you
need. I tell my kids, “Never overlook an
opportunity for greatness.” Failure is
opportunity in disguise.
One Friday night in my Lightlife Foods
tenure, the plant manager called at 11
p.m. to tell me our new facility was in
flames. The fire started on the loading
dock and had spread to storage. Though
typically stoic, my plant manager was
emotional. I said, “No one’s hurt. We can’t
go to emotion. We need to motivate the
team, lay out our plan, pressure-check it
and then get going.”
It definitely improved the team; we were
much stronger as a group for having
gone through that. That was the biggest
business-building change. Three weeks
later, we were up and running again.
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D.
Food Scientist and Principal
Corvus Blue LLC
Learn to communicate
clearly and concisely.
Say what you mean.
Be strategic by keeping
good company. The food
industry badly needs the
leadership of women in its
service to humanity.
Jill Litwin
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Peas of Mind
My tenacity is a trait I’m really proud of in
my professional life. By being persistent
and not giving up at the first “no,” I’ve
turned countless seemingly unlikely
situations into a “yes.” It is an especially
important quality as a small business
owner and a woman in the food industry,
because too often we accept arbitrary
terms or unfavorable contracts when
we’re up against larger corporations. My
tenacity enables me to fight for fairness
and stand up for my business when facing
major challenges.
I’m a fair and nice person and want to do
business with other like-minded people
to form mutually beneficial relationships.
Building strong relationships that will
weather everything from supply chain
meltdowns to simple mistakes is no easy
task. I’ve learned that no low price is worth
doing business with someone who doesn’t
take accountability or believe in your
business when the chips are down. In the
end, business comes down to relationships.
It is important to work with people you can
count on to make things right.
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Cindy Rhodes
Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Cape Cod Select® Premium Cranberries
“It’ll never happen!” This was a phrase I
encountered when I first came up with the
concept of making cranberries available
to consumers year-round. My idea to offer
frozen cranberries in retail outlets was met
with skepticism by many in the industry,
but that single phrase drove me to make
my dream a reality.
That being said, my advice to young
women entering the food/beverage
industry is to believe in yourself and be
passionate in whatever you do. Walt Disney
said, “When you believe a thing, believe it
all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”
So, always believe in yourself and in your
ability to accomplish whatever you set
your mind to.
Gale Myers
Technical Support Manager
Sensient Food Colors
Ten years ago, I wish I’d known how
rewarding it would be to embrace the
role of mentor to young people entering
the industry. Steering your way through
the sometimes-challenging waters of any
industry requires guidance from more
seasoned team members. We all need to
realize this is not a competition but rather
a journey that requires teamwork. My
advice: If you are a young person starting
your career, seek out a mentor and accept
their guidance and tutoring. If you are a
seasoned professional, embrace the role of
mentor and enjoy the rewards it offers.
Sandy Toney
Vice President, Corporate Quality and
Product Development
Masters Gallery Foods, Inc.
Find your strengths and set goals.
Whether you have small dreams or soaring
expectations, setting goals gives you a
clear understanding of your pathway to
business success. Goals give you longterm
vision and short-term motivation.
Never burn bridges behind you. Everything
you say or do might affect your future. For
women in the business world, there are
always going to be struggles and tests of
our willpower, but with a positive mind-set
we can become more driven.
Have an open mind, believe in yourself and
have the courage to follow your heart and
intuition. Speak your mind, be confident
in your decisions and don’t back down. Do
not dwell on failure; you need to forgive
others as well as yourself in order to
achieve your goals in life. Never forget the
people who have helped you along the way
and always reach for the moon, for even if
you fail you are still among the stars.
Shazi Visram
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Happy Family Brands
Believe in yourself. Work
harder than everyone else
and overcome challenges.
Business is not rocket
science, and even if it were,
you can build a rocket if you
need to. Make it happen.
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D.
Food Scientist and Principal
Corvus Blue LLC
Master the core fundamentals of your
work. Being authoritative and authentic
makes you truly trusted and respected.
Use your knowledge and skills to do the
right thing instead of just doing right. Make
no apologies for doing what’s right.
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(Continued)
Trisha Anderson
President and Owner
Frontier Soups
Angie Bastian
Cofounder and Owner
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP
Let’s help each other be
successful. Find a way
to support, mentor and
encourage women to
exercise their ambition in
our organizations. We must
model and normalize
female leadership. We
need to believe that each
person on our team can be
extraordinary, and treat
each other with respect
and appreciation. We must
remember we are all in
different phases of our
personal and professional
development, and there is
no perfect way to achieve
success. Lastly, purchase
products and support
brands that celebrate the
dimensionality of women.
What was a practical way to supplement
my family’s income while taking advantage
of my experience in cooking and catering?
Develop a product—not necessarily a
“genius” product—but certainly one that
had sufficient overall demand. Next, find
a market to provide a sales platform for
that product. I worked my “market,” in
this case Holiday Bazaars, to very nice
initial success. I then applied this practical
experience to each of my product’s next
stages of growth. When starting out, look
for practical solutions to the obstacles in
front of you. It doesn’t exactly sound like
“follow your dreams,” but it might end up
taking you to a better place.
Traci Takacs
Founder
Federal Ingredients
Follow your passion. That is what you
are naturally good at, what you will do
nonstop and continue to build for the rest
of your life. Entrepreneurship is a marriage
with yourself. You agree to keep going full
speed ahead even when things get tough.
It is a partnership, an agreement between
mind and action, that you will succeed
come hell or high water because you are
in love with a product, idea or concept
that makes money. Of course, passion
without sense is a tragic combination.
But I assume you are probably sharper
and have more intestinal fortitude than
the average gal—or else you would not be
here reading this today.
Roxi Beck
Vice President
CMA Consulting Services
Balance isn’t “all things equal.” Life is
saturated! The hardest part is being
willing to embrace the craziness while
managing priorities. Sometimes, “balance”
means focusing all my energy on my
child’s birthday one evening and leaving
well before the next day’s dawn to make
a business presentation. Having an
incredible partner who’s supportive and
encouraging is also key to my success.
Follow your passion and rely on your values
as a guide. It can be an incredible feat to
get everything done that is required and
desired, but it will be worth it. Throughout
your journey, be humble—but confident—
and never be afraid to ask questions.
Jeannine Sacco
Chief Food Officer
Grainful
Be confident in what you know you are
good at. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion
and speak your mind, even if you stand out
from everyone else.It isn’t about saying
what other people want to hear; it’s
about offering other options and giving
them different points of view that will make
people listen and persuade their decisions.
For more information, please contact:
Erin Hallstrom, Director of Digital Content, Food Processing
ehallstrom@putman.net | 630-467-1301 ext. 456
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ALL ABOUT OUR KICK-ASS
WOMEN IN FOOD 2016
Trisha Anderson
Patricia Hauser
Jeannine Sacco
Sandy Toney
Trisha built her business on the delicious, hearty soup
recipes she grew up loving. She has maintained and
expanded Frontier Soups for more than three decades,
and now sells 36 varieties—all with geographic
names—across 2,000 stores nationwide.
Kelly Austin
Patricia has a rich history of research and development
success across several Fortune 100 consumer
product companies. As Vice President of Global
Beverage Development at at Keurig Green Mountain,
she is a strong leader who excels in interpreting and
integrating consumer research across all phases of
product development.
Jeannine developed the first-ever frozen entrée
made with savory steel-cut oats and clean ingredients.
Soon after, Grainful was born and steel-cut oats for
dinner became Jeannine’s mission. She is dedicated to
creating flavorful frozen entrées and side dishes with
clean ingredients and has served as a mentor for many
young women in the industry.
Sandy has spent her entire career in the industry—
specializing in food quality. Currently, she oversees
the Q.A. of all dairy products at Masters Gallery Foods.
Holding herself and the company to rigorous and
demanding standards, she ensures that the products that
come in and go out are of the highest quality. She was
also the first female judge selected to wear the coveted
“red hat” at the World Championship Cheese Contest.
Kelly is always looking for new ways to deliver unique
ideas, flavors, and solutions to the marketplace. With
more than 21 years of experience in the food industry
across multiple food systems, she is an expert at
driving innovation, quality improvements and
productivity within Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc.
and for their customers.
Angie Bastian
Angie is the co-founder of Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP,
which she started with her husband Dan in 2001. What
began as a college fund nest egg and a way to teach
their children the value and integrity of work has grown
into one of the fastest growing natural popcorn brands
in the country. It’s also sold in all 50 states.
Roxi Beck
Roxi is dedicated to supplying her clients with the
tools they need to succeed as Vice President at CMA
Consulting Services. She joined other thought leaders
at CMA in order to help people in the food industry
solve challenges and apply strategy in new ways. She
is passionate about good nutrition and maintaining an
active lifestyle, both in her work and as a mother of two.
Jill Litwin
Jill had a light-bulb moment years ago—and that
bright insight was Peas of Mind. She watched her
friends battle at mealtime with their kids and she
recalls that it was always over eating vegetables! Peas
of Mind reinvents the foods that kids love (like pizza
and fries) by making a nutritious version filled with
servings of veggies. Now that Jill has her own child, her
business has come full circle and she truly understands
the importance of Peas of Mind and its products!
Gale Myers
Gale is a color expert at Sensient Food Colors,
specializing in the use of food coloring in confections
and pet food. She has been published many times
over and gives speeches for multiple esteemed
organizations on topics such as food color
psychology and marketing trends.
Cindy Rhodes
Cindy and her husband launched Cape Cod Select, a
retail brand of frozen cranberries, in an effort to make
cranberries a fruit for all seasons. She is committed
to educating consumers on the health benefits of
cranberries and to being a premier supplier of
healthy frozen fruit products.
Jeannene Schaffnit
Jeannene has been in food manufacturing since she
was 18 years old, starting her career at a donut plant
during summers between college semesters. She has
been a plant manager for 12 years and with Pinnacle
Foods for two and a half years.
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D.
Kantha is an authority on food history and food science.
As Principal at Corvus Blue LLC., she applies her deep
expertise in chemistry, food technology and nutrition
to discover, create and test new formulations. She has
shared her findings on television, radio and in print
publications, in addition to being a sought-after
speaker at multiple food conferences.
Traci Takacs
Traci is a true pioneer in botanical wellness and
nutrition. She researches and produces botanical
powders according to high ethical standards, using allnatural,
minimally processed ingredients. As founder
of the brain trust consultancy Federal Ingredients,
she is relied on as a trusted advisor for many female
entrepreneurs and small business owners in the
restaurant and wellness fields.
Shazi Visram
Shazi’s “Aha! Moment” came when she was listening
to a busy friend lament about the lack of healthy baby
food options. This sparked an idea that became Happy
Family Organics. Shazi’s mission for her business is
not only to positively impact the health of children
(including her own young son), but to also give back
to those who are in need—which is evident through
her commitment to nourishing lives worldwide and
supporting sustainable solutions.
Darcy Zbinovec
Darcy is the CEO of Among Friends, a brand of glutenfree
baking mixes that uses only non-GMO ingredients
and healthy whole grains. She is dedicated to making
it easier for people to make fresh treats for the people
they love…treats that are “full of the GOOD stuff and
FREE of the BAD stuff.”®
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A huge thank-you to all of the Kick-Ass Women in the
Food and Beverage industry who graciously shared
their wisdom, and to all of those who nominated these
outstanding leaders. We hope our readers feel inspired,
empowered—and ready to take on the world!
Special thanks to:
Know a Kick-Ass Woman in the industry
who deserves to be recognized?
Nominations for the 2017 edition of Words
of Wisdom from Kick-Ass Women in Food
to open later this year!
Photography by Erin Fioretti
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Kick-Ass Women is a registered trademark of Colman, Brohan & Davis, Inc.