Independent food and beverage formulation from Chicago. Clean-label products developed on the bench and built to run on a production line.
Six categories, one approach: every formula is costed, labeled, and written for the equipment your co-manufacturer actually has.
| Category | Products I've developed | Problems I solve |
|---|---|---|
Dairy | Cheese spreads, acid-set cheeses, rennet-set cheeses | Texture and meltability, syneresis, clean-label stabilization |
Sauces & shelf-stable | Retort pouch sauces, shelf-stable simmer sauces | Flavor loss in retort, viscosity through process, sourcing, low-MOQ co-mans |
Meat & alt-meat | Plant-based meats, marinades, meat seasonings | Bite and juiciness, binder systems, marinade pickup and yield |
Seasonings & snacks | Dry spice blends, snack topicals | Adhesion, caking, sodium reduction, cost reduction |
Beverages | RTD beverages, distilled spirits | Stability and sediment, functional ingredient taste, recipe scale-up |
Clean label | Reformulation across all categories | Removing gums, colors, and preservatives without losing shelf life |
Most formulators stop at the bench, but I stay through the first production run.
2 weeks
Target consumer, price point, label claims, and which co-mans are realistic for your volume.
4–8 weeks
Ingredient sourcing and iterative formulation rounds, with costed recipe sheets and a working ingredient statement.
Timing depends on category
Co-man onboarding and on-site support for the first pilot trial run.
Spec sheets, shelf-life plan, and supplier handoff so production is turnkey.
Consulting projects and in-house roles. Client names shared with permission.
First technical hire, plant-based foods
As Director of Product, built product development and co-manufacturing from the ground up. Commercialized 7+ SKUs across frozen foods, sauces, and prepared foods at five co-manufacturers, with concept-to-commercial runs as short as 12 weeks.
First technical hire, fermentation
Directed technical scale-up of a novel fermentation platform for alternative seafood. Designed the pilot facility, led an 8-person R&D and production team, and delivered the first commercially viable generation of product.
Seasonings & marinades
Developed marinades and seasoning blends for a national jerky brand, built for consistent flavor at production scale.
Sauces & shelf-stable
Developed a shelf-stable retort sauce and sourced an organic-certified co-manufacturer willing to run low minimums for an emerging brand.
I'm Bob, a Chicago-based food scientist and independent formulator. I've been the first technical hire at two venture-backed food startups, SIMULATE and Aqua Cultured Foods, building R&D, specs, and co-manufacturing from a blank page on runways measured in months.
Before that, I worked in R&D alongside Michelin-starred chefs in Spain and Denmark. The experience gave me insight into the avant-garde of food, and it's where I learned how to layer flavor and texture. Startups taught me how to make those layers hold up through scaling. I also write about the science behind grocery-store food at polymorv.
I write polymorv, a food scientist's take on grocery-store beauty built on industrial truths. Read all posts
An independent formulator turns a product idea or kitchen recipe into a tested, costed formula that a co-manufacturer can run, without the overhead of a full-time R&D hire.
Yes: dairy, shelf-stable and retort sauces, meat and alt-meat, seasonings and marinades, RTD beverages, and brewing and distilling. Bring any ideas to me and I'll be realistic about whether they fit my skill set, since many categories converge.
10+ years in food product development and commercialization, 20+ products launched, and $70MM raised by startups I've supported through product development and scaling. I was the first technical hire at venture-backed startups and worked in R&D in Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe.
Yes. I've been the first technical hire at venture-backed food startups, so I'm comfortable with startup timelines and with working fractionally until a founder can hire a food scientist full-time.
Yes. I can shortlist co-mans that fit your process, certifications, and minimum order quantities, then support onboarding and your first plant trial.
Most projects run $4k to $20k depending on category, number of SKUs, and how much scale-up support you need. I ask for a 50% deposit upon signing and the remaining 50% upon IP transfer.
You do. Formulas, recipe sheets, and specs transfer to you at the end of the project.
Bring an idea on a napkin, a formula that isn't working, or a product that's stuck somewhere between the bench and the plant. We'll spend 30 minutes, free, talking through where you are and how we could work together.
Inquiry sent. Pick a 30-minute time below, or I'll email you within one business day.
Pick a timePrefer email? Write to hello.polymorv@gmail.com.
