Say Hi to Karen! You may have seen her before, serving you on the butcher’s counter over the summer but did you know our Karen has many hidden talents and we are thrilled to welcome her as our new Product Development Coordinator.
As an enthusiastic “foodie” with purple hair and an easily excitable persona, Karen is working alongside local Environmental Health Officers and Health & Safety representatives regularly auditing Parkfoot departments to ensure we are complying to high food safety standards and practices.
Managing product specifications, allergen control, labelling, training and traceability and generally the essential paperwork that wins us the 5 star hygiene rating every year from the FSA for the tasty food we provide every year.
And for the second and even more sexy part of the role, Karen is responsible for the concept development for the evolving Parkfoot brand and bespoke customer products, looking at food trends, new ingredients and creating exciting and delicious foods to accompany our range.
Concentrating on seasonal changes, calendar events and promotional lines. Karen is often found swimming amongst cook books doing plenty of research, ingredient sourcing, customer presentations, costings, tastings, implementing documentation and taking photos of food to promote.
Working closely with Bakery, Butchery and Deli Managers, combining their skills and expertise to create food that is scrumptious, appealing and the best it can be.
Making sure any new products are showcased in the correct area in store, in attractive packaging, suitable display cabinets with price point to ensure best sales. Working with the appropriate staff in that area of the store to enhance their range.
We are so excited to have Karen on board and personally I’m more excited at being a taster to all the new food! Watch this space for some exciting goodies coming soon.