Food R&D; Expert — KefiloAbout Kefilo

Kefilo is building a NutritionTech and personalised wellness transformation platform focused on functional nutrition, preventive wellness, gut health, fitness and lifestyle redesign.

We are combining food science, nutrition intelligence, technology, personalisation and intelligent food manufacturing to build products and systems where food becomes a measurable part of long-term health transformation.

Role

Food R&D; Expert — Equity-Based Founding Role

Key Responsibilities

- Food Product R&D;
Lead research and development of innovative, nutritious and functional food products aligned with Kefilo's wellness and transformation programs.

- Product Formulation
Develop and optimise formulations based on nutritional objectives, ingredients, taste, texture, functionality, cost and scalability.

- Functional & Therapeutic Nutrition
Work on products focused on areas such as gut health, metabolic wellness, high-protein nutrition, high-fibre nutrition and other targeted wellness requirements.

- Ingredient Research
Identify and evaluate emerging ingredients, functional ingredients, natural compounds, processing technologies and food innovations relevant to Kefilo.

- Product Testing & Validation
Design and conduct laboratory, kitchen and pilot trials, including sensory evaluation, nutritional analysis, stability and performance testing.

- Standardisation
Convert successful R&D; concepts into standardised formulations, recipes, ingredient specifications, process parameters, quality standards and SOPs.

- Nutrition Intelligence Integration
Work with the Nutrition Intelligence team to structure food, ingredient, nutrient and product data that can support personalised nutrition recommendations.

- Food Processing & Scale-Up
Collaborate with Food Processing, Food Science and Smart Kitchen teams to move products from laboratory/kitchen trials to scalable commercial production.

- Shelf-Life,



Packaging & Quality
Support shelf-life studies, packaging selection, storage conditions, food safety, quality control and product stability.

- Cost & Commercialisation
Work with the Product and Business teams on formulation cost, ingredient economics, production feasibility, pricing and commercial viability.

- R&D; Network & Collaborations
Build relationships with food research laboratories, universities, testing facilities, ingredient companies and technology partners for advanced R&D; and validation.

- Innovation & IP
Identify proprietary formulations, processes, technologies and product concepts that can create defensible intellectual property for Kefilo.

Ideal Candidate

- Background in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Nutrition, Biotechnology or a related field

- Experience in food product development and R&D;

- Strong understanding of formulation, ingredients, food processing and product testing

- Experience with functional foods, nutrition products, FMCG, nutraceuticals or related areas is preferred

- Ability to take a product from concept → formulation → trials → validation → standardisation → scale-up

- Robust analytical and experimental approach

- Comfortable working with an early-stage startup and multidisciplinary founding team

- Entrepreneurial mindset with robust ownership and execution ability

Engagement

- Equity-based founding role

- No fixed salary at the current stage

- Part-time: approximately 20–25 hours/week

- Remote / hybrid

- Equity based on contribution, responsibility and long-term commitment

- 5-year vesting structure for core founding members

- Fixed compensation to be introduced after fundraising and revenue stabilisation

Key Outcome

Build a structured Food R&D; system for Kefilo that continuously develops, validates and standardises innovative, functional and personalised nutrition products — from research and formulation to scalable commercial production.

📌 Food R&D Officer (Part-time, Equity only) (India)
🏢 Kefilo
📍 India