Elizabeth Gutierrez Price
Arnold,MD
Summary
Highly accomplished Food & Beverage leader with a proven track record of delivering food and beverage products for world-class food and beverage manufacturers. Proven expertise in product development, project management, operations, regulations, and leadership across a wide-ranging product spectrum encompassing food, beverage, and cannabis categories. Committed to achieving results through collaborative leadership, fostering creativity within teams, and dedicated to nurturing individual and team growth.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Product Development
Green Thumb Industries, GTI
04.2021 - 08.2023
- Successfully executed and delivered approximately 100 projects per year across product innovation and optimization for 3 product platforms, driving Green Thumb Industries to attain a remarkable 28% year-on-year growth in a rapidly evolving and dynamic industry.
- Responsible for product data management across 3 product portfolios.
- Implemented and oversaw development of 300+ internal Raw Material Specifications.
- Identified and executed product renovation strategies, unlocking cost saving and quality improvements, delivering over $5MM in Net Revenue.
- In priority market, qualified automated Gummy and Chocolate manufacturing, increasing margin and volume by 50% and 100%, respectively, facilitating these product lines to take #1 market share.
- Successfully navigated complex regulatory landscapes in 17 diverse markets, ensuring seamless Regulatory Compliance across all product portfolios, a total of more than 300 final products.
- Partnered with FSQA in establishing GMP, HACCP and Supplier Management best practices across several operating sites.
- Managed and developed high-performance Product Development team.
Sr. Product Development Manager, Global Innovation
PepsiCo
02.2016 - 03.2021
- Launched novel Functional Juice and Sports Drinks beverages for Tropicana Portfolio and Gatorade Portfolios, meeting full innovation brief Product Quality, Operational, Cost and Regulatory Compliance standards.
- Collaborated closely with Regulatory Affairs to develop 3 new Structure-Function claims against Skin Health, Gut Health and Relaxation for novel ingredients, enriching internal knowledge base of regulatory tools and resources.
- Led R&D Innovation Forums, feeding Pipeline Development.
- In 2018, honored with prestigious 'PepsiCo Academy of Sciences' award for exceptional breakthrough innovation in developing Tropicana Probiotics, 1st mainstream juice containing probiotics.
- Managed and coached high-performance Product Development team.
Product Development Manager, Regional Innovation
PepsiCo
10.2013 - 01.2016
- Identified and implemented Continuous Product Improvement opportunities in collaboration with Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations and Regulatory, delivering over $15M in Net Revenue for Juice brands, including Tropicana, Dole, and Izze.
- Notable achievements include: Development of flexible formulations to mitigate filler juice supply constraints, juice base reformulation to reduce transportation costs, and harmonization of ingredients across supply chain.
- Responsible for operations of Juice Product Development Lab, ensuring implementation and adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Allergen protocols, and relevant policies.
- Delivered $3M Lab Renovation within budget.
- Managed and coached Product Development team.
Project Commercialization Manager
Diageo PLC
01.2010 - 10.2013
- Managed Co-Manufacturers across 5 Latin America markets to commercialize Innovation and Continuous Improvement agendas.
- Facilitated Stage Gate process, ensuring key stakeholders had necessary project information.
- Worked in close collaboration with Quality, Operations and Compliance Specialists, ensuring project compliance through meticulous coordination and attention to detail.
- Oversaw establishment of Smirnoff Vodka blending and bottling operations at Jamaica Red Stripe brewery, leading to significant cost savings of $5 million. Through this achievement, I earned 2011 Diageo "President Spirit of Supply Award", highest supply honor within Diageo.
Sr. Liquid Commercialization Scientist
Diageo PLC
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Commercialized dozens of Rum product launches for "Global Rum Center of Excellence" working closely with Latin America co-manufacturing operations teams.
- Notable achievement includes efficiently replicated US Captain Morgan formulation for Latin America market, leveraging Latin America supply chain. This initiative led to $1 million savings in US importation costs and expanded opportunity for greater market share across Latin America.
- Created product Technical Manuals for large co-manufacturing network in Latin America, guaranteeing consistent product quality in every production run.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
DeKalb, IL12.2011
Master of Science - Food Science
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Ames, IA12.2003
Bachelor of Science - Food Science
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Champaign, IL05.2001
Skills
- Development and Execution of Food & Beverage Innovation and Optimization Pipelines
- Continuous Improvement via application of Kaizen approach
- Product Integrity ensuring Product Safety, Quality, Compliance and Claim Substantiation
- Development and Management of product data via systems including enterprise specific data management software as well as SAP
- Stage-Gate Project Management leading cross-functional teams
- Development and Leadership of High-Performance Teams via Culture of Servant Leadership
Timeline
Director of Product Development
Green Thumb Industries, GTI
04.2021 - 08.2023
Sr. Product Development Manager, Global Innovation
PepsiCo
02.2016 - 03.2021
Product Development Manager, Regional Innovation
PepsiCo
10.2013 - 01.2016
Project Commercialization Manager
Diageo PLC
01.2010 - 10.2013
Sr. Liquid Commercialization Scientist
Diageo PLC
01.2008 - 01.2010
Master of Business Administration -
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Master of Science - Food Science
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science - Food Science
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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