Meet the Team
Nataly Lopez Baron- GFIC Manager
Nataly leads a dedicated team committed to delivering exceptional, tailored services that meet your unique needs. With a PhD and MSc in Food Science and extensive experience across the dairy, cereals, meats, fibers, and supplements industries, she brings deep expertise in product development, regulatory compliance, and specialty ingredients. Her strong commercial awareness ensures that your projects not only meet technical standards but also align with broader business objectives, driving success in a competitive market.
Nafiseh Jam- HACCP Coordinator and Technician
Nafiseh is a food safety specialist with extensive experience in shelf-life studies, food microbiology, and maintaining compliance with food safety standards. With an MSc in Nutrition Science, Nafiseh brings a solid scientific foundation to her work, ensuring product quality, safety, and regulatory adherence. Her expertise includes HACCP development and implementation, microbial testing, and organoleptic analysis, all aimed at optimizing food products while upholding the highest safety standards.
Nikolay Repin- Food Scientist
Nikolay is a food technologist at the GFIC. He has been involved in agri-food research and innovation his entire career and has obtained a vast amount of experience in this field. Nikolay’s main activities at the GFIC are the development of products and production processes for food manufacturers as well as problem-solving with existing products.
Sabryn Drystek- Product Development Technician
Sabryn develops and improves food products, currently focusing on ice cream and other dairy applications. She studies food science at the University of Guelph. When faced with novel requests, Sabryn enjoys problem-solving to select the ideal formula adjustments and processing methods.
Jessica Ulbikas- Project Manager
Jessica transforms your innovative agri-food ideas into a tangible project that support your business’s growth. She manages the intake of new enquiries and current R&D, pilot plant, shelf-life, and nutritional fact table projects. As the Project Manager, Jessica uses her extensive experience in functional food product development, food/nutritional science MSc research, communications, entrepreneurship, and project coordination.
Eric Goetz- Food Innovation Centre Technician
Eric is a Food Innovation Centre Technician and food science student at the University of Guelph. At the GFIC, he assists in the everyday operations of the pilot plants alongside the development and analysis of novel and existing client products.
Robert Swan- Plant Technician
Robert is a trained food scientist and experienced food product developer. At GFIC, Robert manages the pilot plant operations and assists clients in the development and scale-up of manufacturing processes for their products. Rob is excited to take on new challenges and help GFIC clients realize their business goals.
Faith MacQueen- Product Development Technician
Faith is a Product Development Technician at the GFIC, where she works with a diverse range of products, including extruded snacks, beverages, and dairy. Her role also encompasses nutritional analysis, training team members on nutritional software, and developing innovative solutions to complex product challenges. Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science at the University of Guelph, Faith enjoys exploring new fields of research and tackling intricate problems.