Join the Crew: Internship Opportunity at NCFIL

At the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), we love working with our inventive clients and industry partners. We also love mentoring the next generation of food innovation experts.

For the past two years, we’ve welcomed interns into our facility to gain hands-on experience in the pilot plant and test kitchen with plant-based ingredients and finished products; learn safety and sanitation procedures; and participate in client visits. For food science or culinary graduates, or students working toward either degree, this opportunity offers them a foundation for working in the plant-based food industry.

2022 Interns Thrived

NCFIL hosted three summer interns in 2022, and all involved agreed it was a mutually beneficial experience. Bill Aimutis, Executive Director, says, “Interns bring enthusiasm and novelty to their NCFIL roles. A few past interns have become NCFIL employees, and one entered NC State graduate school. Our role is to prepare them for their impending careers and for them to have fun while here with us.”

Andrew Beaver, 2022 Research and Development intern, is grateful for the overall opportunity to learn as much as he did. His biggest takeaway was learning the product development process from beginning to end. “It was really enjoyable to see everything, from the drawing board to reviewing the science behind it and making sure the client is okay with everything,” he says. “And that’s all done before you even start the process of operating the machines.”

Currently a sophomore at Appalachian State University, Beaver is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Foods – Dietetics. “I’m unsure of my career path post-graduation, though I’m leaning toward working to be a registered dietitian nutritionist. Of course, if NCFIL wants to hire me, that would be great!” he adds. 

Maddie Brenner, 2022 Pilot Plant and Product Development intern, credits this internship with her growing appreciation for being flexible. “I liked how we got to work on so many products over the course of the summer as opposed to just one or two,” she says. “I actually chose an internship for this upcoming summer because they described everyday as different with the opportunity to work on a variety of products, which was appealing to me after this job.” 

Brenner is a junior at NC State University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science with minors in Microbiology and Nutrition. “I learned a lot about the equipment and how to use some of it in the pilot plant, test kitchen, and the quality assurance laboratory,” she comments. “I enjoyed the work in the kitchen the most because that equipment is the most applicable to cooking, which is one of my hobbies. Although I enjoyed every element of the projects we did, that was probably the most exciting!”

NCFIL’s Lasting Impression

The interns were exposed to a variety of tasks, equipment, and products to give them a broad understanding of the food industry. Working under Pilot Plant Manager Joe Hildebrand, the interns also learned about the reasoning behind certain treatments or methods, something Brenner already values. 

“I’ve been familiar with some topics in my labs because I had already done work pertaining to that topic or problem at NCFIL,” Brenner says. “For instance, Joe taught us about polyphenol oxidase (why apples and bananas turn brown when exposed to oxygen) when we were working on a project pertaining to sweet potatoes. This reaction was a concern due to the change in the color of the final product. I then learned about polyphenol oxidase in Organic Chemistry 2 and my Food Chemistry class last semester, so it was awesome to already have the background.” 

Beaver says he, too, sees things in his coursework that remind him of his experience at NCFIL: “I took my first food science and food lab class last semester, and the set-up and some of the labs were really similar.”

In addition to the applicable knowledge they gained, the interns also appreciate the supportive staff and environment they joined. Brenner describes NCFIL as an “intimate, fun, busy workplace that has SO MANY resources available for product development. There was a machine for everything and more kitchen appliances than I could name, which makes it so useful for all types of companies.” 

“Everyone at NCFIL works well as a team,” Beaver adds. “It’s like a family here. It’s nice to be a part of it.” 

Apply Today

We are currently accepting applications for our 2023 summer internship. For a full description of the role and the preferred requirements, visit the job posting and reach out with any questions.