First Production Food Innovation was founded by Jim Hastings, a food scientist and R&D leader with more than 25 years of experience turning ideas into commercially successful food products.

Throughout his career, Jim has worked across nearly every stage of food product development—from hands-on formulation and ingredient applications to commercialization, innovation strategy, and R&D leadership. His experience spans leading ingredient companies and consumer brands including Kerry, Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), Sun-Maid Growers of California, and Plum Organics.

Along the way, Jim has helped commercialize 100+ products, delivered more than $15 million in documented cost savings, built and developed high-performing R&D teams, and partnered with customers and cross-functional teams to solve complex product and commercialization challenges.

From Food Science to R&D Leadership

Jim began his career in hands-on product development, building a strong technical foundation in formulation, ingredients, processing, and commercialization. As his career progressed, his responsibilities expanded from developing products to leading teams, building innovation pipelines, partnering with major food companies, and connecting technical innovation with broader business objectives.

That combination of technical depth, commercial understanding, and R&D leadership shapes the way First Production Food Innovation approaches every project today.

Jim understands that a successful product has to accomplish much more than perform well on the lab bench. It needs to meet consumer expectations, achieve the right cost, work within manufacturing capabilities, navigate supply chain realities, and ultimately deliver value for the business.

Why “First Production”?

The name First Production Food Innovation reflects a philosophy developed over decades of bringing products to market:

A great idea only creates value when it can be successfully commercialized.

That's why we begin thinking about first production from the earliest stages of a project. Ingredient availability, processing requirements, target costs, manufacturing capabilities, scale-up risks, and product quality all need to work together.

By considering those realities early, FPFI helps clients identify potential obstacles before they become expensive problems and creates a clearer path from ideation to first production.

An Experienced Extension of Your Team

Today, Jim brings that experience directly to food companies that need additional R&D expertise, leadership, or bandwidth.

FPFI works with established food companies, emerging brands, ingredient suppliers, and startups on projects ranging from innovation and formulation to cost optimization, technical problem-solving, co-manufacturer selection, scale-up, and commercialization.

Our approach is collaborative and hands-on. We work as an extension of the client's team, bringing structure to complex projects, asking the right questions early, and maintaining focus on the ultimate objective: creating products that can be successfully manufactured, launched, and scaled.

Jim is also a U.S. Army veteran, an experience that helped shape the leadership and team-oriented approach he has carried throughout his career.

25+ Years of Food R&D Experience 100+ Products Launched $15M+ in Documented Cost Savings

Your Partner from Ideation to First Production

Testimonials from former clients and colleagues:

I've had the pleasure of working with Jim and have consistently been impressed by his deep technical expertise in food science. His work on clean label, natural product platforms has been both innovative and impactful, demonstrating a strong understanding of both consumer trends and scientific rigor. He is exceptionally well-organized and brings clarity and structure to complex projects. His communication skills are top-notch—he’s able to translate technical concepts into actionable insights for cross-functional teams, making collaboration seamless and productive. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to drive meaningful progress in clean label product development.

Natalie Roesler, Sr.Director of Innovation at Sweet Harvest Foods, Nate’s Honey

Jim Hastings is a results-driven professional with a rare combination of intelligence and approachability. I've had the privilege of working with him at two different companies, giving me a comprehensive view of his abilities. His impact is undeniable. At Sun-Maid, his leadership went far beyond simply managing a team. He fostered an environment of continuous improvement and strategic thinking, directly leading to 13 successful product launches. Furthermore, his commitment to developing his team resulted in five well-deserved promotions, showcasing his dedication to nurturing talent.

Sydney Stout Valla, Business Development Manager at Sun-Maid Growers

Jim is a top-notch innovator and scientist. With a wide breadth of expertise, he is a true asset leading R+D organizations. Jim and I worked together on several projects at ofi. He constantly impressed me with his out-of-the-box thinking. In addition, I admired the way he lead teams. He found a way to motivate senior employees and was a great mentor to younger, less experienced employees.

Jill Houk CRC, Research and Development Chef at Culinary Culture

Jim’s technical knowledge in ingredients is unparalleled. His expertise spans sweet, savory, and textured systems, making him a go-to resource for solving complex challenges and driving innovation. Whether it was developing new formulations or optimizing existing ones, Jim’s insights were always grounded in a deep understanding of the science and application of ingredients. What truly sets Jim apart is his commercial knowledge and strategic thinking. He has a keen understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and industry trends, which he leverages to drive business growth. Jim’s ability to align technical innovation with commercial opportunities has consistently delivered impactful results for the organization.

Kwadwo Brifo, Managing Director at Freddie Hirsch Nigeria

Jim is a technical expert in spices and condiments, during his time at ofi he worked on various spices related initiatives, working alongside sales developed pipeline of projects and conducted weekly stage gate meetings for on time project delivery. Jim is a great people leader, he built the spices team by recruiting and training the talent. His cross-functional collaboration and calm demeanor are unique skills which helped him take-on high profile projects to completion.

Sonali Dalvi, VP and Head of Innovation at Kodiak Cakes