R&D Technician | 1st Shift | Marshall, NC

Who We Are

Fed Up Foods, one of the nation's early producers of kombucha through the Buchi brand, and one of the largest functional beverage manufacturers in America, offers a diverse portfolio of organic private label functional beverages for top global retailers.

Fed Up Foods fuels the growth and success of open‑minded, collaborative, and passionate individuals who thrive on teamwork, creativity, and continuous learning.

As a proud benefit corporation we have chosen to make People one of our benefit pillars. We strive to make sure every employee of Fed Up Foods feels welcomed, valued, and empowered by fostering a collaborative and adaptable community, providing growth opportunities, and creating a supportive environment where you can thrive both personally and professionally.

Agility, Collaboration, Communication, Lifelong Learning, Community, Gratitude

• Health Insurance (80–90% of individual premium covered)
• Group Term Life Insurance (100% company‑covered)
• Short‑Term Disability (100% company‑covered)
• Long‑Term Disability (50% company‑covered)
• Voluntary Dental, Vision, Life & Accident Insurance
• 401(k) with Employer Match
• 9 Paid Holidays, PTO & Sick Time

The R&D Technician supports the full product development lifecycle, from concept stage through formulation, pilot batching, and successful first commercial production runs. This role is hands‑on and detail‑oriented, responsible for executing daily research and development related lab operations, maintaining accurate documentation, and keeping development projects moving on schedule. The R&D Technician works closely with the R&D Food Scientist and Fermentation Specialist, while also interfacing with cross‑functional teams including Sourcing, Quality, Sales, and Operations.

The ideal candidate brings a passion for food and beverage innovation, a high degree of reliability, and the initiative to support the R&D team's successful development of new and improved products.

Schedule:

Mon – Fri, 8:00am–4:30pm

• Routinely perform mix‑ups for recipes formulated by the R&D Food Scientist (RDFS)
• Assist the RDFS during the formula development of new products
• Perform laboratory analysis such as pH, TA, Brix, and/or sugar extract levels on new mix‑ups, competitor products, and experimental projects
• Support flavoring of production batches as needed and as time allows
• Assist with market research to identify trends, competitor products, and consumer preferences
• Analyze data to provide insights for product development strategies

• Package and label all benchtop mix‑ups in bottles, cans, or kegs
• Use printing software to create labels for outbound samples or in‑house experiments
• Coordinate outbound shipment of critical R&D samples using shipping software
• Organize and manage the R&D's rotating inventory of physical sample retains and raw ingredients
• Dispose of old samples or ingredients and upkeep benchtop mix‑up supplies
• Assist in coordinating sample requests and evaluating product samples

• Assist in coordinating the end‑to‑end product development process, collaborating with cross‑functional teams including shipping, sourcing, sales, finance, marketing, and others as needed
• Assist in cross‑department communication between R&D and Sourcing regarding new ingredients
• Assist the Fermentation Specialist and RDFS with cross‑department tasks, especially pertaining to R&D fermentation trials, including tank parameters, reporting, shelf‑life analysis, and third‑party testing
• Coordinate and assist the RDFS in setting up first production run meetings, maintain meeting notes, and assist commercialization project managers in change management activities
• Regularly attend weekly meetings with the RDFS regarding ongoing and upcoming new product developments

• Maintain accurate and detailed documentation throughout the product development lifecycle, including ingredient specifications, recipe formulations, and quality control procedures
• Assist the RDFS in document review for…