Our Experts…
Here at Kraft Heinz we employ the best in the business to develop and create the products our customers know and love.
Lawrence Agar New business development chef - UK Foodservice
Meet Lawrence, classically French trained, Lawrence attended the world-renowned Leith’s School of Food and Wine. Once graduated Lawrence spent time on the London restaurant scene working in Micheline Star restaurants. Lawrence was responsible for developing menus and driving innovation within the restaurants ensuing they kept at the forefront of the newest trends.
Within his role in Kraft Heinz, Lawrence is responsible for working with the key accounts and culinary training. His favourite project which he has been involved in is the development of the hotdog pizza for a large UK chain. Lawrence showcases Kraft Heinz at high profile trade shows ensuring that our business is at the forefront of the newest innovation. Designing menus and working with high profile customers to develop their menus is a key part of his role, and he’s brilliant at it!
Lawrence claims his favourite Kraft Heinz product is Lea & Perrins “it’s a kitchen staple and I couldn’t cope a day in the kitchen without it!”
Mike Veenstra Senior Culinary Product Developer - Foodservice R&D EMEA
Meet Mike, his mantra is “Food is what brings us together!”
Mike has a culinary background of more than 19 years in various culinary and food technology roles: food has always been at the heart of what he does. His career has been an exciting one; working in restaurants, in the food industry, as well as cooking for the Royal Family in the Dutch Navy.
Based in our 57 Innovation Centre in the Netherlands, Mike has been with Kraft Heinz for the past 2 years working for the R&D Foodservice team. In his role he is responsible for driving collaboration with our European Foodservice key customers by organizing and leading culinary innovation sessions, and developing culinary solutions that support them in creating market successes.
When asked, Mike’s most loved product is Heinz Algerian Sauce: a sauce that is bold, spicy and has personality!
Hubert Heijligers Culinary Development Manager
Meet Hubert, Hubert is currently leading the R&D Culinary team for all retail driven projects. He is involved at the start of all innovation projects and is the lead for flavour. During the innovation stage Hubert is the link between R&D product development and commercial marketing. His driving force is the best tasting product.
Upon joining KraftHeinz Hubert brought several years of broad culinary expertise. He led a cookery school, worked as a chef for one of Amsterdam's most exclusive catering companies, experienced institutional cooking and in the Dutch care sector and was cheffing on location for one of the oldest German chef knife brands. He was classically trained and did a bachelor’s in food innovation.
Within the 8 years with Kraft Heinz Hubert explored the world of product development in Foodservice. Gaining knowledge about the industrial process of making recipes and reaching the right scale, quality and precision in the factory. He has mastered dry goods development for a local jewel and the condiments area for Heinz condiments. After 6 years of product development Hubert found his way back to his chef whites and is now working cross category for all retail brands.
His favourite Kraft Heinz product is a classic… Heinz Tomato Ketchup - mixed with some homemade chili sauce!
Ed Ryan Culinary Product Developer - Foodservice R&D EMEA
This is Ed. A hybrid product developer who has diverse experiences of food science and culinary arts. For him, “It has been a personal dream to have this role, and being in foodservice has been a reward for me to learn the dynamic food culture within the European market.”
Ed works as a translator between worlds. Where in collaboration with our customers, he translates their ideas to formulate a culinary gold standard and then uses the power of science to convert that recipe into a commercially feasible product. He spends a lot of his time researching market trends and working with experts to experiment with food to understand the fundamental what, how, and why, while never losing sight of the end user experience.
Over the past two years, Ed has built a wealth of technical knowledge of the Kraft Heinz sauces portfolio. Moreover, he has a strong commitment to build relationships with our foodservice customers and guide them through the Kraft Heinz process to deliver innovation for their businesses. He also shares his passion for food by educating our European commercial teams and partners.
His favorite Kraft Heinz products the entire Bull’s-Eye sauce range, as it resonates so well with his American heritage.