I help small food businesses start and grow to their full potential.
Allie Sivak
Food Scientist and Product Developer
She//Her//Hers
Growing up cooking with my family and working in restaurants, I decided I loved food so much that I would make it my life’s work. I studied Food Science and Dairy Science at Virginia Tech, where I gained a comprehensive education of food supply, from farm to table.
My first exposure to the food industry on a large scale was my internships working on Oreo Innovation—I quickly knew I was in the right industry when my work entailed eating cookies. After I graduated college, I took a role as Brand Steward for Nabisco, where I worked closely with manufacturing, scale-up, and continuous quality improvement of some of the nation’s most iconic cookies, including Nilla Wafers and Nutter Butters. From there, I went to work for Whole Foods Market, a company that better aligned with my passion for health, wellness, and the natural food space. Here, I experienced the retail grocery food world, developing products and innovative processes in the Baking, Dairy, and Bread categories for Whole Foods and 365 private label brands.
In my free time, I am a self-taught baker and run my passion project, TakeWhisks, where I bake and decorate cakes for friends, family, and the local community. I absolutely love developing new cake flavors and designs, and always welcome a wild idea or challenge (a “whisk” you may say)!
Food and beverage has been a large part of my career, but also has tied in greatly to my health and wellness journey. I enjoy being active as an essential key to happiness and well-being, and am an avid weight-lifter, yogi, and hiker.
I also have a great passion for travel, and I plan my travel around culinary adventures (of course), hiking, and soaking in all nature’s beauty has to offer. My wanderlust spans from a keen interest in what makes individual cultures unique and special. I’ve traveled internationally and quite a bit domestically, and have enjoyed the opportunity of living in 5 different states across the East Coast, Southwest, and now Pacific Northwest.
After a personal trauma in the summer of 2019, I decided to change my life and moved to Portland on a whim. The combination of a friendly & community focused culture, amazing food & entrepreneur scene, and stunning nature drew me in and called to me as home.
This is when I decided to create a business to help early-stage food and beverage entrepreneurs navigate product development & the food industry, and ultimately thrive in the products they share with the community. I bring my food science education, industry experience, business partner network, and passion for community & culinary innovation to provide 1:1 food business coaching services to help you launch a unique, impactful product and brand.