Food Product Development & R&D Consulting from ideation to First Production

Turning innovative ideas into commercially successful food products.

At First Production Food Innovation, we help food companies develop, optimize, and commercialize products that deliver both technical performance and business results.

Led by Jim Hastings, an executive R&D leader with more than 25 years of food industry experience, FPFI brings the perspective gained from commercializing 100+ products and delivering more than $15 million in documented cost savings across ingredients, CPG, and foodservice.

Because developing a great product is only the beginning. The real value of innovation comes when that product successfully reaches first production.

Does your organization need additional R&D horsepower?

FPFI can help when:

• Your innovation pipeline isn't delivering enough new products to support your growth strategy.

• Your R&D team has more projects than bandwidth or needs specialized expertise for a critical initiative.

• Your company needs experienced product development leadership without adding a full-time R&D resource.

• An important product needs reformulation, cost optimization, or technical problem-solving.

• You have a promising concept but need a clear path from formulation through scale-up and commercial production.

Experience That Goes Beyond the Lab Bench

Successful commercialization requires more than formulation expertise. It requires understanding ingredients, processing, manufacturing capabilities, cost, quality, supply chain, consumer expectations, and the business objectives behind the project.

FPFI brings those pieces together.

Our experience spans startups and emerging brands, privately held food companies, ingredient suppliers, and leading CPG organizations. We provide practical, execution-focused support across product development, formulation and reformulation, ingredient sourcing, cost optimization, co-manufacturer selection, scale-up, and commercialization.

Built Around First Production

The name First Production Food Innovation reflects how we approach every project.

Even at the earliest stages of development, we're thinking ahead: Can the product be manufactured? Can ingredients be sourced at commercial scale? Can the target cost be achieved? What technical risks need to be addressed now rather than during scale-up?

That focus helps reduce surprises, accelerate commercialization, and create products that are designed not just for the lab bench—but for the marketplace.

Let’s Turn Your Next Idea Into First Production!

Based in Clovis/Fresno, California, serving food companies nationwide!