Flavour Talks

Jean Mane is the former president of V. MANE FILS SAS, one of the global leaders in the flavour and fragrance industry. Under his leadership, which began in 1995, the company underwent a period of innovation and international expansion, establishing itself as # 5 in the Industry.
Recognised as a European flavour expert since 1984, Jean Mane has a strong academic background in chemical engineering from two Parisian universities and in synthetic organic chemistry from MIT. He has previously served as president of the International Organisation of the Flavour Industry (IOFI), the European Flavour Association (EFFA) and Syndicat National des Industries Aromatiques Alimentaires (SNIAA) in France.
His achievements include receiving two of the highest French knighthoods: the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre National du Mérite. He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Spice Conference and was named Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 for France by EY. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board and Managing Director at MANE KANCOR.

Host: Trevor Groome, Michel Aubanel, Séan Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka

Ready for another episode en français? Well, here it is! Michel Aubanel interviewed Gérard Bruneau, an experienced flavourist who worked for Robertet, Mero and Kerry throughout his career. They discussed his journey into flavour creation and touched on various aspects of a flavourist's work, answering even some questions from his peers. We will publish an excerpt from this interview in the next issue of our magazine, New Flavourist.

Host: Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka

Our next guest is Ryan Ponquett. Ryan has a degree in Chemistry, a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry and completed four years post-graduate studies in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Natal in South Africa. He co-founded the flavour company FlavourCraft and was CEO and Technical Director for more than 20 years until it was acquired by Kerry in 2012. Ryan is a former President of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST), he is an experienced flavourist and is former Kerry’s VP for Taste and Innovation for the EMEA region, now with TaystOvation and Nova Genetics.

Host: Trevor Groome, Séan Ryan, Michel Aubanel, Carmen Schultejans, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka

Join us for a virtual walk through the olfactory world of Caro Verbeek, who shows us how our sense of smell deeply affects our sensory experiences of Art, History, Music, Memory and Emotion. This fascinating discussion gets dangerously philosophical as it explores our very human experience of the world around us.

Caro Verbeek is an embedded researcher of olfactory heritage at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum and International Flavours & Fragrances. Trained as an art historian, she specialises in sensory art and education in museums, art academies and universities. She has 10+ years of experience curating exhibitions and conserving collections (prints, drawings and scents). 

Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka

Today we're pleased to have William van Dongen with us. He's an R&D manager with a wealth of experience in flavour and fragrances, as well as pharmaceutical research.

William is co-founder of Scents & Flavors— a comprehensive database of over 46,000 materials used in the flavor and fragrance industry. In this episode, he'll share his approach to innovation, problem-solving, and how his diverse background informs his work.

Join us as we explore his insights and experiences in the field.

Host: Trevor Groome, Séan Ryan, Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka