What’s it like to lead innovation for a brand like KitKat?
“I get to see KitKat from start to finish. You don’t just get to be involved in one part of the process, you get the opportunity to see the breadth of your team’s expertise from the start, with a new idea, to the finish, on the shelf, in the supermarket. This is what dreams are made of here.”
Janette Jackson, Group Leader KitKat for Nestlé Confectionery based in the Nestlé Product Technology Centre, heads up the dynamic team who were responsible for creating the iconic brand’s latest innovation, KitKat sharing bars.
You may be familiar with the household name, invented in York in 1935 which has stood the test of time and is renowned for helping consumers ‘Have a Break’. What you might not be aware of are the team of chocolate experts working behind the scenes of the iconic brand in the state-of the art innovation hub which they call home.
The Nestlé York campus houses the Nestlé Product Technology Centre (NPTC). This global hub for research and development in confectionery is where ground-breaking ideas come to life, showcasing expert innovation in the UK.
This year, we proudly launched an all-new KitKat sharing bar, that combines light and creamy fillings with chocolate that effortlessly melts in your mouth. This contrast in textures makes for a unique, and multi-sensory eating experience, made all the more eye-catching by the marbled coating that provides the swirled chocolate finish to the bars.
The bars were designed right here at the NPTC in York, where 150 talented employees, including Engineers, Product Technologists, Scientists and Process Technicians from more than 30 different nationalities, all collaborate to push the boundaries of confectionery innovation.
Join us as we sit down with Janette and learn more about the brains behind the break...
Can you describe your career path before joining Nestlé?
“I’ve always been in confectionery, and that’s not purely by choice, just the way that my career played out. I worked as a Quality and Technical Manager at another confectionery company’s factory in York. I spent a lot of time in manufacturing, but primarily my focus was quality and food safety. After that factory closed, I did some consultancy work, strangely enough for confectionery companies, before joining Nestlé. It’ll be 12 years ago now.
“My career with Nestlé started in the NPTC, providing quality and food safety support for both new projects and technical assistance to our factories across the globe. I then transitioned my career to the Technical Competency Unit, focusing more with our factories and from there I joined the newly formed KitKat end-to-end team, what an opportunity, balancing both product development and process support with an amazing team.”
So, what does Group Leader KitKat actually mean?
“My role is primarily leading a team who take a concept for a KitKat product and develop it. What does it look like? How does it taste? How would that product look on shelf? How do we industrialise this in a factory environment? My team develops the fundamentals of a new product, and we work with KitKat on a worldwide scale, not just in the UK and Ireland.
“I have a team of ten, six product developers who focus on KitKat, and four manufacturing experts. I’m a people person, and I always want to make sure that my team are fulfilled, developing, and being challenged. With my role specifically, it’s about making sure that we have the right people with the right expertise who can really drive development and support the numerous projects we cover.
“On top of that, I work with colleagues across the world and get to speak with all of the different zones at Nestlé. We have 14 KitKat factories, so it’s a huge network with many people to talk to.”
It sounds like you’ve got a lot of hats!
“I love it. Honestly, I love the diversity and complexity. KitKat is our number one brand, so it’s going to be engaging. But working within my team and within the NPTC, allows you to work alongside scientists, chocolate experts, engineers, and more. It’s very varied and there’s so many opportunities.”
What role did the NPTC play in developing KitKat sharing bars?
“We start off with an idea, of course, but ultimately, we need to ask, what does the consumer want? Where we play our part in the confectionery world is by developing a product based on the brief of the business and of the consumer. We take all of our product expertise and question it more.
“With KitKat sharing bars, we chose to feature a marbling effect on the chocolate as this really drove a difference to what is out in the market. Our product developers and engineers creatively designed a rig for testing the marbling concept, successfully I may add.
“Taking this concept to industrialisation was a major achievement across the whole of the team from both the NPTC and our amazing factory in Sofia, Bulgaria.”
Talk us through the choice of using marbling technology and creamy inclusions for the bars.
“Well, consumers haven’t seen the marbling technology in much else before. Consumer testing was really receptive to the pattern and visual appeal.
“With the new sharing bar, we have three concepts which are available across several markets. Key to delivering the product is to remain true to KitKat. So, we have the new marbling masses, we have the classic and crispy KitKat wafer, along with a cream filling, which brings an indulgent aspect. That’s what our sharing bar is about, it’s a different consumer demand for KitKat than what we’ve had before.
“We wanted to hit the gap; an indulgent product made for sharing. We needed a bar that people could share together. It’s a meaningful moment for KitKat to be a part of.”
What advice would you give to aspiring professionals in the food & drink industry?
“Embrace it. Be a sponge. Absorb it. Ask questions. Challenge. When someone new comes in, they’re sometimes working with people who’ve been here for 30 years and it’s important that they challenge those who’ve been here longer. They’ve got so many new ideas.
“I never thought I would end up as KitKat Group Lead when I started here 12 years ago. Now here I am, and it’s through growing my network and learning from others, absorbing their knowledge, getting help along the way, and developing my own competency.”
Final question. What would your dream innovation on KitKat be?
“Oh, now you’re asking! I like coconut. I want a coconut KitKat Chunky. I just love, love, love coconut. I have conversations with the confectioners and I’m like please just make me a coconut KitKat Chunky. I think it’d be really cool.”
Have they made it for you? (*the final question)
“No! Well, this year they launched a KitKat Four Finger in coconut flavour in our Brazilian factory. But it’s the creamy filling I’m interested in. We need a filling. Let’s see if they can do something for me.”
