In today’s episode, Karen Cardona, Founder & CEO of True Leaves Consulting, talks with Chris Raczkowski about how she helps food entrepreneurs in creating and refining recipes from concept to commercialization. Karen has a long and successful history of working with other firms on food R&D for new product development, Quality Assessment, production planning, and supply chain development. She used these talents to start her own consulting firm, True Leave. She also discussed the primary services provided, which include sourcing dependable wholesale suppliers, developing sensory profiles, and developing labeling and certification. She shared views on the “Clean Label” market, which is a significant trend at the moment, with food manufacturers and consumers highly interested in understanding where their foods are grown/produced, as well as minimizing chemical additions (e.g. preservatives). 

Karen provides an important service by assisting in the replacement of traditional chemical preservatives with naturally derived preservatives (such as from mushrooms). She also discussed food trends and how QR codes are becoming quite popular – not only for food transparency and traceability but also for integrating social media material to entice consumers. Karen has a strong personal interest in sustainability, which she incorporates into her business operations.