Jun 25, 2026 – 5.00amInside the multi-level offices of Food Smarts in the Melbourne suburb of Braeside, a food scientist in a white lab coat is peering at a beaker full of a neon-bright liquid. She’s working on a brief to formulate a watermelon-flavoured ready-to-drink vodka cocktail, but the client wants the colour to be more candy-pink. “Still looks a bit purple,” says Bradley Wardrop. “Have you got any citric acid in there?”Wardrop’s suggestion is worth heeding given his wealth of experience. The bespectacled 56-year-old is general manager and principal food scientist consultant at Food Smarts (company tagline: “Architects of Food Innovation”). He’s also the chief science officer at sister company Flavour Makers, which turns over about $300 million a year providing “idea-to-shelf” solutions for clients seeking culinary product development.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Luke BenedictusContributorLuke Benedictus is the Financial Review’s watch writer.Fetching latest articles
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