Product Development Intern

Your Story.

You are a leader who has emotional intelligence, analytical skills and are a critical thinker. You seek the opportunity to learn more about Food Science. You are excited to explore the challenging world of Food Science and hope to find a company you can build a future with after graduation.

Your Passion.Our Culture.

At Sargento, you work for a company you believe in, with a family of people who believe in you. Our culture stems from a simple premise: Hire good people and treat them like family. At Sargento, you can make decisions based on how they affect people as well as the long-term health of our company. You will be encouraged to make a meaningful difference in the community, in the company and in your career. With diverse experiences and tools to learn and develop, you can transform your aspirations into reality. If you're ready for the right place to belong and grow your career, you can find it here.

Benefitsthat set us apart

• Lead and own real and relevant projects aligned with business objectives
• Build valuable skills and experiences to become prepared for entry level opportunities
• Mentorship and career development to learn and grow strengths and interests
• Participate in volunteer and community service initiatives
• Flexible, hybrid work schedule with optional remote Mondays and Fridays, onsite Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; plus, half day Fridays
• 5 unpaid days off for interns and 10 unpaid days off for co-ops
• Nationally competitive compensation
• Paid relocation and housing
• 401(k) employer contribution top 1% in the nation
• Exclusive discounts at the company cheese store and local attractions/events

What You Do.

• Under close supervision, execute laboratory and pilot plant experiments to support product development using established procedures.
• Lead and conduct sensory evaluations-including Descriptive, Discrimination, and Acceptability testing-while implementing panel training and methodologies to support product development, quality assurance, and marketing initiatives
• Performs a variety of routine scientific tasks that provide experience and familiarization with technical and other functional areas using the methods, practices, and programs of Sargento Foods, Inc.
• Learns methods to improve quality of foods such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, convenience, or physical, chemical, and microbiological composition of foods and applies to assigned projects.
• Studies food standards, safety and sanitary regulations, good manufacturing practices and supply specifications to ensure projects meet applicable standards.
• Evaluates food products, processes, and packaging, and develops specific production methodology under test conditions.
• Support plant scale-up activities and collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, engineering, and quality, as well as external suppliers or consultants to resolve issues.
• Maintains written technical documentation, and product and process specifications.

Your Education and Qualifications.

• Pursuing a bachelor's degree in food science, food process engineering or related field, having completed junior year prior to start of internship, or pursuing a master's degree in food science with at least the first year of course completed
• Ability to effectively present information to peers and colleagues
• Possess strong computer skills, including MS Office
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Valid driver's license, vehicle insurance, and vehicle required. There is no mass/public transit system to/from corporate housing location to company locations.

Our Story.

With over 2,400 employees and net sales of $1.8 billion, Sargento Foods is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. We created the world's first, successful pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Sargento is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we manufacture and market shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients and sauces. Sargento is known for the exceptional quality of our products and for product design, packaging and merchandising innovations that have transformed our industry.

To learn more about our culture and values, please visit our website at https://careers.sargento.com/us/en.