My food & drink job: Elise Smith, NPD technologist, English Cheesecake Co

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Elise Smith - English Cheesecake Company

Name: Elise Smith

Age: 23

Job title: NPD & process technologist

Company & location: English Cheesecake Company, London

Education: Food Science with Industrial Training at University of Reading

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? When I was very young, I wanted to be a doctor because I didn’t know other jobs existed. Then when I was a bit older, I wanted to be a pilot. Until I realised I don’t understand even the basics of physics, and I had very little hope of ever figuring that out.

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I’ve always loved food, especially cooking nice food so I can eat nice food! I’ve also always loved chemistry, so realising I could study an applied science degree where all anyone talks about is food was a bit of a dream. It opened my eyes to how broad the food industry is and how many exciting and varied roles there are within it.

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My job supports the development of products from concept brief to launch, as well as improving existing lines and helping to make processes more efficient. It’s a varied role, and even though I’m still learning the ropes, I’ve loved seeing how much creativity and collaboration goes into bringing ECC cheesecakes to life.

“No day is complete without a bit of cheesecake tasting… obviously all in the name of quality control!”

What does a typical day look like for you? Business moves fast at ECC. Just as we start to recover from one launch period, we’re already gearing up for the next. Right now, a lot of my time is spent on EPD projects, helping to make sure our products keep getting better while adapting to an ever-changing industry and whatever hurdles come our way. My days can also revolve around factory trials, completing documentation, and supporting production to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

There’s also a big focus on staying on top of what other brands and retailers are doing in terms of NPD, spotting trends and opportunities that could inspire future launches. And of course, no day is complete without a bit of cheesecake tasting… obviously all in the name of quality control!

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: I was contacted by a recruitment company about the role, and they were my main point of communication throughout the whole process. The first stage was online, where we talked about my experience, and I was asked a few tough processing questions that I honestly thought I’d answered quite badly.

By some miracle, I was invited to the second stage on site, where I got a tour of the factory and met more members of the NPD team. The questions were a bit more in-depth this time, but it felt like they mostly wanted to see if I’d be someone pleasant to work with. After that, I had a final chat with the MD online, where he went through the company’s history and ethos before I accepted the offer. I was genuinely happy and excited to take on the role!

english cheesecake company sweet and salty dessert

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? I love that things can get stressful and a bit chaotic at times, but at the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of people making cheesecake. It’s something to giggle about if things ever start to get a bit too heated. It’s also great being surrounded by people who get just as excited about the little food things, like fun new launches and odd flavour combinations.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? This is the most generic answer, but I don’t think people realise just how complex the food industry is until they work in it.

So much goes into bringing a single product to life. Every document has to be in order to meet regulatory requirements, there’s endless problem-solving, constant quality control, and loads of different people involved at every stage. It’s definitely not as simple as thinking of an idea one day and selling it the next. Behind the scenes, there’s a huge amount of work that goes into keeping everything running smoothly and making sure the nation never runs out of cheesecake.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? I’d say be open to learning, and don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet. The food industry is huge and full of opportunities you probably don’t even know exist. Experience is experience, even if it doesn’t seem directly relevant at the time.

Just getting your foot in the door and gaining a better understanding of the scope of roles out there can be so valuable. It gives you the insight to figure out what really suits you and where you want to go next.

What’s your ultimate career dream? My ultimate career goal is to afford to work part-time. But really, I just want to find my niche. I’m still at the start of my career, so I’m focused on exploring different areas, figuring out what I like most, and eventually becoming an expert in it. I think it would be very cool to be an ‘expert’ in something and build a career around that, maybe even consulting one day.