Plant Manager with Tony Wong, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

Plant Manager with Tony Wong, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

Tony Wong is the Plant Manager at 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, a specialty coffee roastery in Vancouver that supplies retail chains, independent cafes, and a growing e-commerce operation across Canada. In this episode, we talk about what plant management actually looks like in a food and beverage manufacturing setting, how speciality coffee is actually made and how a food science background in quality can lead you into a path in operations. --- Shownotes [https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Tony-Wong/] --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - About Tony's Food Job 04:36 - What Are KPIs? 06:00 - How Coffee Beans Are Processed 09:23 - Quality Control and Cupping 11:40 - About Coffee Roasting 17:00 - Quality and Safety Above Profits 19:23 - Tony's Career Path: QA to Operations 21:37 - Why He Stayed in Operations 24:01 - Food Safety Background as an Asset 26:17 - Skills Needed in His Role 35:37 - Role Evolution and Financial Skills 38:01 - Learning from Subject Matter Experts 40:24 - Networking and Asking Questions 41:50 - Advice to His Younger Self --- 📙 Career Guides [https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/] 💭 Career Advice [https://foodgrads.com/blog/] --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Tony Wong LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonywong10/] 💼 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/49th-parallel-coffee-roasters/] 🌐 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Website [https://49thcoffee.com/] CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/] 🎵 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com] 💼 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/]

Senior Human Resources Manager with Olga Cenic, Voortman Bakery | HR Mini-series

Veronica Hislop sits down with Olga Cenic, HR Manager at Voortman Bakery, to talk resumes, interviews, mentorship, and the overlooked ways students can break into food manufacturing - all in part three of FoodGrads' HR mini series! Olga Cenic is the HR Manager at Voortman Bakery - a 75-year-old cookie and wafer manufacturer in Burlington, Ontario, and home to the number one sugar-free wafer in North America. --- Shownotes [https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Olga-Cenic/] --- De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] offers professional recruitment services for employers and candidates in agriculture and food. As a candidate, De Lacy will provide career development advice, career consulting, as well as preparation for interview success. Open communication, confidentiality, and complete transparency are a priority for De Lacy consultants — check out De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] for more information on exciting opportunities! --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Episode Intro 02:57 - What HR Looks For In New Hires 03:43 - LinkedIn Strategy 05:00 - Foot in the Door 06:36 - About Voortman Bakery 09:01 - Culture & COVID 11:49 - Co-op Programs 14:11 - Sanitation Crew Opportunity 16:28 - Temporary Agencies Explained 21:34 - Resume Tips 29:33 - What Is Mentorship? 38:00 - Interview Tips 40:52 - Questions to Ask 43:00 - Following Up After Interviews 45:00 - Assessing Company Culture 49:12 - Final Advice --- 📙 Career Guides [https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/] 💭 Career Advice [https://foodgrads.com/blog/] --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Olga Cenic LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-cenic-8250833a/] 💼 Voortman Cookies LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/voortman-cookies/] 🌐 Voortman Bakery Website [https://secondnaturebrands.com/pages/voortman] CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/] 🎵 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com] 💼 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/]

VP of People and Culture with Steve MacIntyre, Fine Choice Foods | HR Mini-series

This is part two of FoodGrads' three-part HR miniseries, built for students entering the food and beverage industry with support from De Lacy Executive Recruitment. In this episode, we get into what hiring managers actually do when they open your resume - and what happens in those first five to seven seconds that determines whether you make the pile or not. Steve McIntyre is the Vice President of People and Culture at Fine Choice Foods, a Richmond, BC-based manufacturer of spring rolls, gyoza, bao buns, and other premium dim sum products. Steve started his career as a maintenance electrician. He did not plan to end up in HR - but food manufacturing has a way of creating lateral opportunities for people who stay curious, and that is exactly what happened to him. In this conversation, Steve shares what hiring managers are really looking for, why your education section is not doing the work you think it is, and how to make yourself visible in a market where four hundred people are applying for the same role. If you are a student or new grad trying to figure out your next move, this one is worth your time. --- Shownotes [https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Steve-MacIntyre/] --- De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] offers professional recruitment services for employers and candidates in agriculture and food. As a candidate, De Lacy will provide career development advice, career consulting, as well as preparation for interview success. Open communication, confidentiality, and complete transparency are a priority for De Lacy consultants — check out De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] for more information on exciting opportunities! --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Steve's Role at Fine Choice Foods 04:00 - About Fine Choice Foods 07:30 - Steve's Path into HR 13:00 - How Students Get Hired 17:00 - Reading Entry-Level Resumes 22:00 - Personal Summaries That Stand Out 26:00 - Are Cover Letters Worth It? 29:00 - Extracurriculars on Your Resume 32:00 - Showing Technical Skills 34:00 - What Impresses in an Interview 38:00 - Managing Interview Nerves 41:00 - Common Interview Mistakes 44:00 - How to Research Company Culture 48:00 - What Hiring Managers Actually Ask 52:00 - Job Searching in a Tough Market 56:00 - Final Advice for Students --- 📙 Career Guides [https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/] 💭 Career Advice [https://foodgrads.com/blog/] --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Steve McIntyre LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-macintyre/] 💼 Fine Choice Foods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/fine-choice-foods/] 🌐 Fine Choice Foods Website [http://www.finechoicefoods.com/] CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/] 🎵 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com] 💼 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/]

Talent Aquisition Manager with Nicolas Pretorius, High Liner Foods | HR Mini-series

In episode one of our HR-Miniseries we are talking about what hiring managers actually look for, how to approach resumes and interviews, and realistic ways that students can build experience and momentum as they start their careers. Nicolas Pretorius is Talent Acquisition Manager at Highliner Foods, one of North America's leading processors of frozen, added-value seafood. In this conversation, you'll learn: * What hiring managers actually look for on an entry-level resume * Why soft skills often separate candidates more than technical ones * How to use the skill bucket resume format with limited experience * What "culture fit" really means and better questions to ask instead You might think getting hired is about having the right degree or the right experience. As Nicolas will show you today, it's really about how you tell your story and the soft skills that most candidates overlook. If you're a student or new grad figuring out your next move, this one is worth your time. --- Shownotes [https://foodgrads.com/podcast/Nicolas-Pretorius/] --- De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] offers professional recruitment services for employers and candidates in agriculture and food. As a candidate, De Lacy will provide career development advice, career consulting, as well as preparation for interview success. Open communication, confidentiality, and complete transparency are a priority for De Lacy consultants — check out De Lacy Executive Recruitment [https://delacyexecutive.com/] for more information on exciting opportunities! --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Nicolas's Role at Highliner 02:37 - Long-Term Talent Planning 04:43 - Highliner's Facilities 05:55 - Nicolas's Career Path 08:06 - Embrace Unexpected Opportunities 09:47 - Casting Nets to the Future 14:45 - What Stands Out on a Resume 17:04 - The Skill Bucket Resume Format 20:41 - Technical vs. Soft Skills 24:42 - Interview Prep Tips 26:05 - What to Wear to an Interview 27:34 - Researching the Company 28:59 - From Co-op to Full-Time 30:49 - Culture Fit vs. Values Alignment 32:50 - Assessing Culture as a Candidate 36:24 - Behavioral Interview Questions 41:35 - Advice for Students Job Hunting Now --- 📙 Career Guides [https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/] 💭 Career Advice [https://foodgrads.com/blog/] --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Nicolas Pretorius LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicthatsme/] 💼 Highliner Foods LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-liner-foods/] 🌐 Highliner Foods Website [https://www.highlinerfoodservice.com/] CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/] 🎵 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com] 💼 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/]

Confectionery Specialist with Enea Lelaj, Tilray Brands

Enea Lelaj is a Confectionery Specialist at Tilray Brands, working at the intersection of food science, product development, and one of Canada's fastest‑changing industries. In this episode of That's a Food Job!, Enea shares how his path into food science was anything but planned. Starting in chemistry at Toronto Metropolitan University, he followed curiosity into a food research lab and discovered a field that combined science, creativity, and real‑world impact. Today, Enea develops gummies, chocolates, and tablets infused with active cannabinoids. He talks candidly about what real R&D looks like beyond textbooks — balancing regulation, rapid iteration, and problem‑solving in a fast‑moving, highly regulated space. The conversation explores why creativity matters just as much as technical skill, how graduate school prepared him to tackle unsolved problems, and why staying open to unexpected opportunities can lead to surprisingly cool careers. --- ShowNotes [https://foodgrads.com/podcast/enea-lelej/] --- CareersNOW! [https://careersnow.ca/] is Food and Beverage Ontario's multi‑year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario's food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNOW.ca [https://careersnow.ca/] for more information on jobs, career pathways, industry mentors, and professional development opportunities. --- 📙 Career Guides [https://foodgrads.com/career-paths-food-and-beverage/] 💭 Career Advice [https://foodgrads.com/blog/] --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Enea Lelaj LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/enea-lelaj/] 🌐 Tilray Brands [https://www.tilray.com/] CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/foodgrads/] 🎵 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@foodgrads.com] 💼 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/foodgrads/]