Jessica Kemp, Food Technologist for Leaft Foods, shared that she has always been interested in food.
“I had this big passion for cooking and entertaining and stuff, even as a kid. And then I knew I loved science,” said Kemp.
Kemp’s cousin was a Food Technologist, and as a teenager, her cousin booked her meeting with lecturers and gave her a tour of her work, which confirmed Kemp’s desire to become a Food Technologist herself.
“It’s like this is a perfect mix of being hands-on and being analytical and creative. My job is like bringing something that doesn’t exist before into existence and making it enjoyable for people to consume. And the nutritional part is great as well.”
Kemp elaborated that the driving reason behind her passion for working with Leaft Foods is its ethos for sustainability and making the world a better place.
Day-to-day, Kemp stated that her role changes, the versatility being a combination of planning long-term and short-term trials while utilising time and money as efficiently as possible. Responding to the moment's needs is critical working within an innovation-focused company.
Kemp believes that Leaft Foods’ exploratory nature has carved out an entirely new category of working for itself.
“It’s very open and quite a free space, which I find exciting. It’s nice to be able to feedback directly to product sponsors in our leadership team and engage with them. And feel heard and valued because people in technical roles cannot often stand up in boardrooms and talk through their work.”
Typically, in food technology, there is a need to process a problem or a product development problem, which Leaft Foods uniquely moves away from by solving the simultaneous equation. Kemp revealed that at Leaft Foods, they had designed their process, which in turn changes its product, and what Kemp is searching for in the product can then change and influence the process, creating a circular and constant feedback loop.
Currently, Leaft Food is searching for suppliers aligned with the company’s innovative vision and concerned with the bigger picture rather than what can be bought in the next fiscal year cycle.
Kemp added that anyone searching for an exciting, dynamic role in food technology driven by a shared ethos shouldn’t hesitate to contact Leaft Foods.
Originally from South Africa, Kemp shared that the move has positively impacted her life in many respects. Her role in food technology and placement in Christchurch is a driving and exciting aspect that she attributes to positive change.
Leaft Foods is a Christchurch-based company using novel technology to extract Rubisco, a protein in all green leaves. Neutral in colour and flavour, with a complete amino acid profile, the protein is also hypoallergenic, which could be a game-changer for individuals with soy, whey, or egg protein sensitivities.
Leaft Foods is a pre-revenue company that raised USD 15 million in 2022 in Series A venture funding led by Silicon Valley-based Khosla Ventures. The venture included participation from Ngāi Tahu Holdings via its New Economy Mandate, ACC’s Climate Change Impact Fund, and NBA Basketballer and impact investor Steven Adams.
The company has a growing team of 24, including food technologists, process engineers, biotechnologists, farm systems specialists, and sales and marketing experts.
