Sylvia Bennett
Account Manager at Melted Chocolate Inc.
North America
About
I bring over 17 years of hands-on experience across retail, manufacturing, and product development to help food brands turn ideas into scalable, retail-ready products. My background spans bakery operations, private label product development and manufacturing R&D from early concept and formulation through scale-up, production, and launch. I’ve worked inside test kitchens, manufacturing plants, and national retail programs, which gives me a practical understanding of what it takes to move a product from bench to shelf without losing quality, integrity, or feasibility. I specialize in R&D and private label development, helping brands and manufacturers navigate formulation, ingredient sourcing, process development, cost optimization, and commercialization challenges. I bridge the gap between creativity and execution - ensuring products are not only innovative, but also manufacturable, compliant, and commercially viable. What drives my work is seeing great products succeed. I’m passionate about supporting teams through complex decisions, simplifying the path to market, and building products that are designed to scale. I’m particularly interested in projects involving early to mid-stage R&D, private label development, product optimization, scale-up support to product launch. While bakery and baked goods are my natural skill set, I am open to other opportunities in conventional and gluten free.
Industries Served
Engagement Types
Licenses & Certifications
Food Science Certificate, U of G
Food and Nutrition B.A.Sc., Ryerson
IDEA Startup Program, MBEC
Services
I help brands develop functional food and beverage formulations that deliver on health benefits and taste. This includes selecting evidence-informed ingredients, balancing flavour and texture, improving stability and shelf life, and preparing formulations for scale-up and commercialization.
Commercialization & Scale-Up for food and beverage products. Commercializing bench/kitchen formulas into robust, repeatable manufacturing at pilot and full scale. Support includes process definition and parameter setting, pilot trials and tech transfer, co-manufacturer onboarding, equipment fit and throughput/capacity checks, packaging compatibility and line-run validation, and spec/SOP development (product, packaging, QA). I also help teams assess COGS and yield drivers, reduce variability, troubleshoot scale-related quality issues, and build a commercialization plan that aligns food safety requirements, lead times, and launch timelines.
Improving how work gets done so teams save time, reduce waste, and get more consistent results. I focus on finding what’s causing delays, errors, or extra costs, then putting practical fixes in place—clear processes, better handoffs, and simple tracking - so quality stays high and operations run smoother over time.
Product Development & Formulation: turning ideas into products that are practical to make and ready for the market. I develop and refine formulas, select ingredients, balance taste/texture, and build clear specs so products can be produced consistently, meet quality expectations, and hit cost targets - from early prototypes through to launch.
Genesis, Opal, Nutricoster. etc. Providing specification and nutritional database support. Ensuring your product data is accurate, complete, and ready for packaging or customer spec sheets. Managing ingredient details, allergen declarations, and nutritional calculations to meet regulatory and customer requirements. Streamlining product development, reducing errors, and ensuring compliance across retail and foodservice channels.
A short engagement to generate, assess, and shape new product opportunities.
Evaluate formula, specs, sourcing, manufacturability, and commercialization gaps.
Support founders and brands preparing for plant trials or first production runs.
Recommendations
David Chen
Senior Category Manager at Mapleway Retail Solutions
“Sylvia has an exceptional ability to take an idea and turn it into a commercially viable, retail-ready product. She understands both the creative and technical sides of product development, which makes working with her incredibly effective.”
Jennifer Collins
VP, Product Development at Harvest Lane Foods
“What sets Sylvia apart is her ability to align R&D, sourcing, QA, and the sales teams. She simplifies complex decisions and keeps projects moving forward. ”
Mark Reynolds
Director of Manufacturing Operations at Northshore Food Group
“Sylvia builds strong, practical relationships across suppliers, co-manufacturers, and internal teams. She understands constraints, timelines, and how to get results without unnecessary friction. ”
Clients
