Sarah Masoni is the Director of Product and Process Development at Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center (FIC). Located in Portland, Oregon, the FIC is one of 13 experiment stations across the state affiliated with the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU.

Sarah has dedicated her career to food entrepreneurship and development.  She works as a liaison between the university and the food manufacturing industry transferring valuable information to start ups that require guidance to get their new concept going.  Over the course of her career, she’s helped literally 1,000’s of entrepreneurs realize their vision by helping them develop foods that are market-ready, including household names such as Salt & Straw, Bob’s Red Mill, and Keto Pint.  

 Sarah and her team work on projects ranging from local and natural ice creams, candy, snacks, dairy products, beverages, ocean and seafood products, acidified foods, natural and vegetarian items,  pet food and treats, sauces, dry mixes and organic fruit and nut bars.   Sarah is also a recognized flavor specialist with strong relationships with ingredient vendors and flavor companies, and regularly serves as an official judge for local and national product evaluations.

A former artisan Cheese Maker, Sarah is a current member of the Specialty Food Association, Oregon Dairy Industries,  and the American Cheese Society.   Sarah has been invited as an Official Judge for the ACS Annual Cheese Competition, for the American Dairy Goat Association, as well as the Specialty Food Association Annual SOFI Awards and the Good Food Awards.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Art and Food Science from Oregon State University. 

Sarah was recently featured in the New York Times article “Meet ‘the Million-Dollar Palate’ Behind a Flood of New Foods”  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/dining/sarah-masoni-food-designer-oregon-state.html

Sarah was also featured on CBS Sunday Mornings with Jane Pauley “Tastemaker: Food designer Sarah Masoni’s million-dollar palate” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tastemaker-food-designer-sarah-masoni-million-dollar-palate/

Sarah has a live broadcast radio show on Friday mornings with her co-host Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce, called “Masoni and Marshall, A Meaningful Marketplace”  which airs Fridays at 9:00 am on www.startupradionetwork.com

This podcast has been loyally sponsored by Icon Foods for two seasons. Find out why it’s important to them to support this podcast and about their sweetener solutions. IconFoods.com

Looking for a different, in-depth, and personal conference about product strategy? The American Food Innovate Summit takes place in Chicago March 2-3, 2020. Hear from legacy brands and start-ups and how they’re innovating and leading food trends.