In November 2023, flavour industry expert Nicoletta Beatrice joined NEI as VP Global Sales and Marketing. Since then, she has been busy optimising our extracts, driving our first product range and positioning the brand in Europe and beyond.

Before joining us, Nicoletta gathered decades of international experience in the flavour industry, from sales to R&D to business category management, from her home country of Italy to Paris and Amsterdam, from Firmenich to IFF and Symrise, covering regional and global roles. Following a master’s degree in food science and technology and post-graduate studies in marketing, she fell in love with flavours (almost by chance) and the exciting opportunities they offer to invent new solutions that deliver unique taste experiences. She relished the challenge of bridging the gap between consumer expectations and functional requirements, between innovative tech and natural ingredients.

Her interest in sustainable sourcing and translating the richness of natural ingredients into taste solutions led her to think about a career shift. Perfect timing as she had just been contacted by NEI about our new VP job. Everything seemed to fall into place. Following a series of interviews and an on-site visit in Tanzania, Nicoletta was keen to be part of this adventure – impressed by the company’s clear vision and dynamic team.

“It’s a very different model and way of working compared to big flavour houses. It’s been exciting, challenging and I’ve learned so much already. Drawing on my multifaceted technical background spanning business, marketing and R&D, I’ve worked with the team and board to build the foundations of our brand and vanilla extract range including European distribution. We’re excited to have launched Viva Vanilla and created an umbrella brand for future product ranges. This is just the beginning,” highlights Nicoletta.