The main thing that I've been working on here at Fonterra is processed cream cheese. You know, our block products in the supermarket, which are great for making cheesecakes. 

Some of the other products I've worked on include portions and lollipops and jar cheese. And those are more common in the Middle East and China. I also work with people overseas so they can either be our customers, they can be based in China, Japan, Middle East, or I can work with Fonterra offices overseas. The most rewarding part I find is when you make a formulation and a customer in China picks it up and starts putting that formulation through their factory. 

I love this job for the people. The people employed here are fantastic and I love getting my hands dirty, making some sort of new product that's never been made before. You have to love food to suit this role and wearing a hair net all the time. We do a lot of lab work and a lot of computer based work to become a qualified food technologist. 

You need to do a Bachelor of Food Technology, which is a four year degree with a compulsory honours. You can major in food product technology or food process engineering. As an associate research technologist, I can get promoted here to be a research technologist or a senior research technologist. There are also other pathways that could go down. 

I can go into marketing or I could go into management. I would highly recommend this career to anyone who loves food as much as I do. I love seeing products on the shelves and knowing which processes and ingredients went into making that. So if you love that too, this degree is for you. 

That kind of rhyme.