Hey There!
I'm Gordon. I believe every amazing food business starts with a story.
Thank you for spending some time to read mine now, and I look forward to learning about yours soon.
My Professional Background
With over 10 years of experience in product research & development across various categories in the food industry, I bring a wide range of knowledge and expertise to the table.
Throughout my career to date, I have held various roles within various B2C and B2B food manufacturing companies, honing my technical skills and ability to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams.
​
Alongside continuously building Plantify Food Consulting, I embarked on an entrepreneurial journey in 2022 as a Co-founder (Sales & Marketing) of Heartful Flavours, a startup dedicated to putting people's heart health first with healthy no added salt or sugar Asian meal base seasonings. Within this role I held until Dec 2024, I was intimately involved in understanding consumer needs, developing a strong brand identity, and developing "best-for-you" products to market, among many other things within the lean startup. This hands-on experience, running parallel to my consulting work, provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small food businesses today, particularly in the rapidly evolving health food space.
​
Since Sep 2019, I've worked with over 30 different food and beverage clients, on a variety of projects in new product development and reformulation. Products I have worked on include: chilled dips, shelf-stable sauces, protein bars, spreads, protein enriched drinks, snacks, breakfast granolas, frozen and chilled desserts, and many other product types.
How the Business Started
This technical consulting business stemmed from a lifelong dream to do good for the world by combining my passion plant based food, with my expertise in product development. When I noticed a shift in how people viewed and engaged with plant-based food, I saw an opportunity to leverage my extensive experience in the FMCG industry and support small businesses and startups in bringing more impactful food and beverage products to the market.
Why Plant Based?
My own journey to being plant based was driven by an elevation in understanding and compassion for the world around me, and also learning to be more kind to myself to enable myself to be more kind to others. For many years growing up through to my mid-20s, I was what most would consider "flexitarian", with a diet rich in vegetables, soy products, and mushrooms.
​
The Gamechangers documentary I watched in 2019 was a key turning point for me, and I was convinced on the adverse impact of animal product consumption on the environment. The next day, I committed to a plant based dietary pattern, and I have never looked back since. I continue to learn about plant based nutrition, speaking to and learning from dietitians, and other evidence-based communicators to continually enrich my understanding of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
