Godley Tshepho Legwabe

Experienced product development professional with a decade of expertise in food product innovation, NPD lifecycle management, supplier collaboration, and regulatory compliance. Skilled at translating consumer insights and market trends into successful food products, specializing in meats, sauces, spices, marinades, and ready-to-eat formats. Demonstrated leadership in cross-functional team management and supplier relationship coordination to deliver top-quality, brand-aligned solutions.

• Woolworths, Product Developer: Meat (Crumbed, Value Added, Primal), Work with product development manager and operational team (technologist, buyer, planner, assortment, packaging specialist and marketing) on the product strategy for the category, through analysis of trends, category, and customer insight., Conduct product benchmarks to ensure that products are best in its class., Do product upgrades where necessary., Present newness or upgrade of products to management., Development of new products for big launches (Summer, Winter, and Christmas)., Continually monitor performance of trading groups product direction and take appropriate action., Define and manage product focused priorities with categories., Deliver and input into cross group development initiatives for operational group, including first to market concepts. Input into brand values and ensure the delivery to set standards and product strategies., Define and sign off range architecture., Manage NPD process with suppliers and internally., Create design briefs to ensure appropriate visual imagery on product ranges within corporate brand identity., Liaise with the foods marketing manager to ensure marketing customer strategy is clear and consistent., Ensure all packaging design briefs sufficiently communicates customer facing messages., Drive the operational development of the trading group supply base and ensure suppliers are fit for purpose to deliver the product strategy., Champion and maintain product quality to ensure products are 'Best in its Class'., Attend all factory trials, including pre-production before launch to ensure products are align to specification., Attend all weekly QC to ensure that products are within spec with regards to eating quality and look and feel., Ensure that product meets all the quality and regulatory requirements., 12/01/23 - Present
• Acacia Specialty Chemicals (Pty) Ltd, Senior New Product Development Technologist, Providing technical assistance to the sales teams on the use and application of spice packs., Developing new products: products includes sauces, marinates, spices, Instant puddings and custards., Developing food batch packs for ready to eat products., Doing application trials on products., Conducting sensory analysis of spice blends and batch packs for meat products., Conducting sensory analysis on finished products., Modifying and improving existing recipes as well as developing new spice blends and batch packs for meat and ready to eat products., Liaising with marketing and sales department on product performance and new products in the food industry., Interacting with suppliers on new raw materials and existing raw materials., Compiling specifications on all finished products., Developing raw materials specifications., Conducting factory trials., Complete costing of new products., Preparing detailed recipes and costing., Managing the artwork of new products from design to final approved artwork., Ensures all existing and new product artworks complies with labelling regulations., Overseeing the company Food Safety Management System., 11/01/16 - 11/30/19
• Quiet Brooke Trading, QC Manager, Develop standards and establish clearly defined quality methods and procedures for staff to apply., Develop quality procedures in conjunction with operating staff, setting and maintaining controls and documentation., Controlling production hygiene and quality control standards., Direct the tracking of defects, test results, or other regulatory reported quality control data., Providing necessary tools to QC personnel for the testing and examining of samples., Manage the incoming and finished product microbiological and chemical sampling., Analyse quality control test results and communicate quality control information to all relevant organisational departments., Anticipate and resolve quality related issues including root cause analysis and corrective and preventative action implementation., Conduct training of crew members on food safety and personal hygiene., Coordinates and directs all activities related to product safety, product in process, and finished product., 08/01/16 - 10/31/16
• Famous Brands Management, New Product Development Technologist, Full product and process development; products include sauce, condiments, and spices., Development of marinades, spices and sauces for Steers, Mugg n Bean, Fishaways, Tasha's, Wimpy, and Turn 'n Tender., Co-ordinating multiple development projects from initial concept to launch., Doing application on old and new menu items., Problem-solve production issues relating to new products., Conducting factory trials and assisting factory with first production runs., Conducting sensory evaluation of new and existing products., Preparing detailed recipes and costings., Researching of new trends in the food industry., Presenting of new products to clients., Prepare trial samples after product development and design processes., Evaluation of alternative raw materials with regards to cost, quality and suitability., Compiling finished goods specifications, recipes and traceability checklists., Do costings of new products., Conducting in-house microbiological and analytical testing as required., Coordinates and directs all activities related to product safety, product in process, and finished product., Ensures all quality related information required for regulatory reviews and reporting is maintained., 06/01/13 - 07/31/16
• Pick 'n Pay Technical, QA Technologist (Contract), Product audits of fresh produce., Sample requisition for micro, and pesticide testing., Arranging with laboratories for sample pick up and the kind of test required on the products., Floor walk inspections in perishable and groceries warehouses., Evaluating products against their specification and generating reports on them., Ensuring that the quality control during receiving and dispatch complies with regulation and in-house SOPs., Conducting sensory evaluations on products and writing reports., Conducting milk tests., Checking the brix of produce products., Doing titrations on acid containing products., Fridge temperature recordings/log., Doing batch release on canned products by checking the pressure, brix, pH, and the wash out mass where applicable., Evaluating house brands with competitors' products on quality and price., Supplier visits to ensure that the supplier adheres to Pick n Pay quality standards., 11/01/12 - 05/31/13
• Foodcorp Consumer Brands - Beverage Division, 280 Edison street, Pretoria West Industrial, Food Technology Trainee in Chemical, Microbiological and NPD laboratories, Performing day to day quality control test such as, pH, ˚brix [sugar content], titratable acidity, viscosity and total dissolved solids., Hygiene inspection in the factory., Swabs on filling machines and swab analysis., Adhere to customer complaints., Monitoring of culture pots prior production, such as temperature, viscosity and smell., Sieve and moisture test., Dye test of cartons, these is done to check whether cartons are leaking., Shelf life evaluation., Assisting quality control projects., Control mass and fill volumes of cartons., Ensure that all finished products are coded correctly before storage., Assisting in New Product Development trials., 01/01/12 - 09/30/12

• ID Number: 9012155610088
• Nationality: South African

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