The engineering discipline behind a shelf-ready food product.
365 Food Product Design Development guides founders from initial product idea through small-scale manufacturing — combining remote consulting with in-person physical assessments across a six-stage, de-risked framework.
Six stages, one continuous assembly line from idea to handoff.
The 365 framework is not a menu of services — it is a sequenced process. Each stage produces a specification the next stage depends on. Scroll the lifecycle left to right.
- STAGE 0101
Readiness Assessment
Diagnostic intake & viability scan
A structured diagnostic of your product concept, market position, regulatory exposure, and manufacturing readiness. We quantify the gap between idea and shelf-ready product before a single batch is poured.
Market Readiness ScorecardRegulatory exposure mapFeasibility memo1–2 weeksRemote consulting - STAGE 0202
Formulation Strategy
Recipe architecture & ingredient engineering
We translate your concept into a working formulation — ingredient selection, functional architecture, sensory targets, and a documented recipe skeleton engineered for stability and scale.
Formulation blueprintIngredient specificationSensory target profile2–4 weeksRemote + benchtop - STAGE 0303
Benchtop Refinement
Iterative prototype development
Small-batch prototyping on the bench. We iterate on flavor, texture, pH, and stability through controlled trials, logging every variable until the prototype meets the agreed specification.
Prototype batch logpH / viscosity profileSensory panel report3–6 weeksIn-person assessment - STAGE 0404
Pilot Production
Scale-up validation at small volume
We move the validated benchtop formula into pilot-scale runs — typically 50–500L — to test process behavior, equipment compatibility, and batch-to-batch consistency under near-production conditions.
Pilot batch recordsProcess flow diagramYield & loss analysis4–8 weeksIn-person assessment - STAGE 0505
Validation & Stability
Shelf-life, safety & QA lock
Accelerated and real-time stability testing, microbiological validation, and a locked quality assurance protocol. The product earns its specification sheet — the document manufacturers build against.
Stability study reportQA specification sheetShelf-life determination6–12 weeksRemote + lab - STAGE 0606
Manufacturing Handoff
Co-packer transfer & production launch
We package the validated specification, identify and qualify a co-packer or small-scale manufacturer, and oversee the first production run to ensure the benchtop result survives the transition to volume.
Co-packer shortlistTech transfer dossierFirst-run supervision4–8 weeksIn-person + remote
Remote consulting meets in-person physical assessment.
Every engagement blends two operating modes. Remote work keeps iteration fast and cost-efficient; physical assessments de-risk the moments that cannot be judged from a screen.
Remote Consulting
Formulation strategy, regulatory mapping, recipe documentation, and project orchestration — delivered virtually with shared spec sheets and live dashboards.
In-Person Assessment
Benchtop trials, pilot runs, and first-run supervision — performed on-site at our partner facilities or your bench, with logged measurements and physical samples.
Small-Scale Manufacturing
We specialize in the 50–500L scale most consultancies ignore — the gap between a kitchen recipe and a co-packer's minimum viable run.
We own the scale most consultancies skip.
The hardest jump in food product development is not kitchen-to-lab — it is lab-to-first-run. 365 operates in the 50–500L band where process behavior, equipment fit, and batch consistency are actually proven.
Find out where your product sits on the framework.
Run the free Readiness Assessment for an instant Market Readiness Score, or book a discovery call to scope an engagement.