From passion to profession — is it possible at all? Monica's story

Every day, when we stand in front of the store shelves, our eyes cross the wide range of colorful and varied packaging that arouses our interest, and we reach for them to transfer them to our shopping cart. But have you ever wondered what makes these products attract our attention? What makes them different? The shape, color or maybe the subtlety of taste of these products? Do we realize that someone puts a lot of heart into providing us with not only quality products, but also an unforgettable experience when consuming them?

Behind this art are people whose passion is to create something that is not only visually appealing, but also provides an unforgettable sensory experience. Behind this play is Monika Wroniszewska, the heroine of today's history. She is an example of a woman who successfully turned her passion into a dream job and proved that passion can become not only a source of joy, but also a solid foundation for building a dream career.

The path to a dream career

JD Editorial: Hi Monika! Could you share with us your fascinating story of how you came to your current career path?

Monika: It started with the time I spent with my grandmother in the kitchen. She taught me how to make my first scrambled eggs or pancakes. Then, among the family, I was famous for my colorful, storied sandwiches. There were always a few colors on the plate, something to sprinkle — different textures, flavors. And that I grew up in the countryside, it was not difficult to do it, it was enough to go to the garden. I guess even then, I subconsciously felt that tasty food is one that provides us with many sensory sensations at once, stimulates our taste buds, makes us want more. The love of cooking was one of the reasons for choosing high school. I graduated from technical school (ZSCKR in Dobryszyce) with a profile of human nutrition and household. There I also met wonderful teachers who interested me in the broad field of food technology. And after participating in one of the subject Olympiads, which was held at the SGGW in Warsaw, I knew that this is where I wanted to study. With a master's degree in engineering in human nutrition and food evaluation, I started my professional career at Danone in Warsaw. I started with an internship in the Research and Innovation department, in the sensory and consumer research team. After 3 years, I was employed at Mondelez International, Wrocław Technical Centre, RD&Q as Consumer Science Specialist.

My daily work — creating flavors of the future

JD Editorial: What does your typical workday look like?

Monika: I start the day with a cup of tea and checking my email inbox to make sure I haven't received information from colleagues affecting my to-do list for the day. Then I proceed to perform a series of activities related to both data analysis, preparation of reports with recommendations, and activities in the sensory laboratory. In projects aimed at the development of new and renovation of current products in the snack category, I add my dose of knowledge about everything that concerns the consumer and the taste of the product. I work with many teams, ranging from marketing and market research, responsible for creating product concepts, to technologists directly creating product recipes. My task is to create a research plan, adapting the methodology to the design assumptions. Research is of two types. The sensory part provides an objective assessment of taste — its profile, the level of intensity of individual attributes such as sweetness or hardness. On the other hand, the consumer part is a check of subjective taste preferences and opinions about the product, along with its packaging, among a given group of consumers. I carry out some of the work myself, and some in cooperation with external agencies. The culmination of my participation is the delivery of research results along with recommendations for further steps. On the other hand, the results of the work of the whole team are the products that finally reach the store shelves. My job is not just routine procedures. An element of everyday life is communication with members of the project team and appropriate modification of the original assumptions in view of changing conditions. It is a constant search for innovation and improvement. Guided by sound analysis and creative thinking, we jointly create products that respond to the real needs and expectations of consumers.

Job satisfaction

JD Editorial: Can you share with us what gives you the most satisfaction at work?

Monika: I like to see tangible results of my work. In my case, it is the presence on the store shelf of a product that I have been working on more than once for many months. When I meet someone who just bought one of our products or see some social media post about them, I can't help but smile with satisfaction. Few people realize that work on the development of a new product takes an average of about two, three years, and many innovations disappear from the market after a period of two years. The situation when “your” product is still playing in it — is very motivating. In turn, changing consumer trends prompt further development and the search for new flavors.

JD Editorial: You are certainly an inspiration to many people, especially women who want to combine their passion with work. Do you have any advice for people who want to follow in your footsteps?

Monika: It is true that at work I do not cook, but this love of tasting, testing new things, I use every day. So my advice is — be open to all possibilities. Use your interests, strengths, but also learn new things, gather a variety of experiences. You never know in which of the career paths you will find satisfaction until you try it.

Summary:

JD Editorial: Thank you so much for sharing your story. It was a very inspiring conversation. 🌟

Monika: Also thank you. It is possible that the next time, while shopping, someone will stop for a while longer and think about what and who is behind a particular product. And for someone else, it will be an incentive to check other career opportunities. As my grandmother says, people will always need food. I am all the more happy that I can work on something that is needed, and tasty for that 😉

A few words about Monica:

Monika Wroniszewska is a graduate of the field of human nutrition and food evaluation at the Warsaw School of Rural Economy. 🎓🍎 She works in a company Mondelez International, Wrocław Technical Centre, RD&Q as Senior Consumer Science Specialist - Specialist for sensory and consumer research, previously at Danone Sp. z o. o. 🏢👩‍🔬

In her free time, Monika loves to spend time with loved ones 👪❤️, with pleasure cooking 🍳 and baking 🍰 for them, not infrequently experimenting with 👩‍🍳 recipes, as well as traveling ✈️🌍, reading 📚 and practicing pilates 🧘‍♀️.