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Why Us

A full stack food-tech R&D consultancy, with world class in-house facilities

What sets us apart

Our USP

As a global Food and Beverage R&D consultancy we intersect between deep food expertise and sharp business thinking. We craft solutions that consumers desire, are technically feasible and commercially viable. Our solutions are designed end to end from idea to market at 2X faster speed than industry average.

End-to-End Innovation Capabilities

End-to-End Innovation Capabilities

From strategy and formulation to packaging, sensory, and compliance—we support every stage of the product development journey.

300+ Years of Collective Expertise

300+ Years of Collective Expertise

We constitute a senior team of strategists, food scientists, nutritionists, and technologists with deep industry experience.

Faster Speed-to-Market

Faster Speed-to-Market

we build with Agile teams, rapid prototyping, and integrated execution help you cut development time in half—without trade-offs.

Proven Track Record Across Categories

Proven Track Record Across Categories

250+ successful launches across beverages, dairy, plant-based, sauces, snacks, nutraceuticals, and more—designed for both mass and premium segments.

Global Brands, Local Relevance

Global Brands, Local Relevance

Trusted by global leaders like Amazon, Pepsico, Heineken, Rich’s, Tata Consumer, our solutioning is tailored to meet consumer needs across markets like India, North America, Southeast Asia, Middle East and the UK.

Claim-Backed, Compliance-First Thinking

Claim-Backed, Compliance-First Thinking

We embed nutritional science, regulatory expertise, and consumer insight to build products that are credible, compliant, and differentiated.

Our Impact

From idea to shelf — we turn innovation into impact. 
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Clients across 4 continents
From global giants to agile startups, we’ve partnered with brands that trust us to turn vision into real-world results
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Industry Disrupting Product Launches
We’ve led 200+ products from first brief to market success — blending speed, science, and standout execution at every stage.
$ 0 M+
In Client Revenue Delivered.
Over a decade of enabling strategic growth across categories, continents, and consumer segments.
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First Time in Market
Breakthrough formats, novel ingredients, category creators. We’ve helped redefine “what’s possible.”
$ 0 M+
Cost Savings

Driving measurable cost savings through smarter formulations, efficient processes, optimized supply chains, and resource-conscious solutions.

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Patents Filed
Our work isn’t just fast, it’s defensible, IP-rich, and innovation-first
Our People

The Power Behind The Process

Thinking Forks is powered by leading food & beverage industry experts who understand the business of food — and the science behind it.

Leadership 

Our senior partners are renowned food business consultants and subject matter experts with a business-first mindset.
With deep roots in food science, nutrition, packaging, consumer insights, tech, and ops — they don’t just lead projects, they scale solutions that work in the real world.

Expertise Area: R&D Leadership, Innovation, Strategy & New Product Development

Experience: 30+ years
(Unilever, International Food Network)

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Rinka Banerjee

Founder & Managing Partner

Expertise Area: R&D Leadership, Innovation, Strategy & New Product Development

Experience: 30+ years
(Unilever, Mars Wrigley)

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Gourinandan Tonpe
Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Expertise Area: Product & Process Development and R&D Strategy

Experience: 23+ years
(Unilever, ITC, MTR)

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Chithra Nair
Chief Operating Officer

Expertise Area: Business and Go To Market Strategy, Opportunity Assessment & Feasibility Studies

Experience: 30+ years
(Frost & Sullivan, Hinduja)

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Aditya Sapru

Senior Partner,
Business Operations

Expertise Area: Nutrition, Communication Strategy & Regulatory

Experience: 29+ years
(Unilever, Mars Wrigley)

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Meera Srinivasan

Senior Partner,
Nutrition & Regulatory Affairs

Expertise Area: Manufacturing scale up & systems

Experience: 39+ years
(Unilever)

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Ranjit Charan Singh

Senior Partner,
Manufacturing Excellence

Expertise Area: Packaging Development

Experience: 26+ years

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Pravin Pisal
Director, Packaging Technology

Expertise Area: Technology and Product Management

Experience: 20+ years

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Shilpa Phadke

Director, Technology

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Delivery

This is our high-energy, high-precision engine — built to move fast and make it real. From fresh ideas to airtight processes, they get things done across prototypes, pilots, and scale-ups.
D Gobinath

Associate Director
Platform Technology

Vinutha Sathish

Senior Manager
HR & Admin

Prudhvi Maloth

Project Manager

Manufacturing & Quality

Mokshita Kaushik
Project Manager
Vijayalakshmi T
Project Manager
Athul Abraham George

Senior Associate

Product Development

Sneha V Nair

Senior Associate

Product Development

Kevin Daniel Baskar

Senior Associate

Product Development

Anjana M

Senior Associate

Product Development

Smruthi Bhat

Senior Associate

Product development

Praneetha Reddy

Associate

Product Development

Kavya G

Associate

Product Development

Madhurya Annam

Associate

Product Development

Thanmayee N

Senior Associate

Innovation Chef

Vaibhavi Singh
Innovation Chef
Megha S B
Innovation Chef
Siddhi S Joshi

Associate

Business Development

Krithika Raj

Senior Associate

Nutrition & Regulatory

Sabath R

Associate

Nutrition & Regulatory

Deepa S

Project Manager

Sensory & CTI

Ashwini S

Development Associate

Sensory & CTI

Manisha R Panda

Senior Associate
Accounts

Basanta Shee
Associate
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Advisory

Global minds with real impact — from food safety to nutrition, strategy to distribution. They bring global practices, futuristic thinking, and the foresight to shape what’s next.

Expertise Area: R&D Strategy, Food Technology & Innovation Management, Chocolate and Pet Food Technology expertise across Business Models.

Experience: 30+ years
(Mars Wrigley)

Neil Willcocks
Chief Advisor, Strategy & Technology

Expertise Area: B2C, D2C,B2B, Hospitality, Retail, Customer & Business Development, Sales & Marketing

Experience: 35+ years
(Unilever, VKL, McCain)

KS Narayanan
Strategic Advisor, Marketing Strategy

Expertise Area: Quality, Food Safety & Security

Experience: 35+ years
(Mars Inc.)

David Crean
Strategic Advisor, Quality & Food Safety

Expertise Area: Nutrition and Wellness

Experience: 40+ years

Sheela Krishnaswamy

Strategic Advisor, Nutrition & Health

Expertise Area: Consumer thinking, Brand Strategy, Sales & Channel, Route-to-Market Strategies & Shopper Solutions

Experience: 23+ years
(Johnson & Johnson, McKinsey)

Arvind Thippanaik
Strategic Advisor, Business Process Excellence

Expertise Area: Product Development, Innovation and Strategy

Experience: 36 years
(Kraft Foods, Wrigley/Mars & SC Johnson)

Lauren Lackey

Senior Business Advisor

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Client Problem Statements & Our Approach

Let’s walk you through a few things we’ve learned over the years in food R&D

Our problem is too niche/complex.

We thrive on complexity – especially across emerging tech, novel formats, or regulatory grey zones with our deep domain expertise & a global partner ecosystem.

We need speed, but not at the cost of quality.

Our plug & play model allows rapid co-development without shortcuts. 200+ idea-to-market projects prove it.

We’ve tried with others – it didn’t work.

Many of our best outcomes began where others got stuck. We consult as well as support right thru execution, and that makes all the difference.

We want someone who gets our business, not just the science

Our senior leadership experience having worked with global organsiations ensures that our recommendations are backed by commercial thinking.
As global food technology consultants, we’ve built a model that’s designed to deliver on all fronts of business requirements
FAQ's

F&B R&D Questions, Answered

Food product development typically includes ideation, formulation, testing, and commercialization of a product.

At Thinking Forks, our food product development services cover:

  • Product ideation and concept development
  • Prototype Development and ingredient optimization
  • Nutritional planning and fortification
  • Sensory testing and consumer validation
  • Shelf-life testing and stability studies
  • Regulatory compliance and labelling
  • Packaging Solutions & Value Engineering
  • Pilot-scale production and commercialization support

This enables brands to take a product from concept to market-ready launch.

As a Full-stack Food Innovation Partner, we combine strategy, science, and execution – with in-house labs, cross-functional teams, and deep category expertise.

  • Strategy + scientific R&D
  • In-house labs for rapid prototyping
  • Cross-functional expertise (food tech, nutrition, packaging, regulatory, manufacturing)
  • End-to-end execution from idea to launch

This reduces time-to-market and improves product-market fit.

Food & Beverage R&D requirements vary significantly by category.

Thinking Forks has experience across:

  • Ready-to-eat, Ready-to-drink, Ready-to-cook – convenience foods
  • Snacks and packaged foods
  • Nutraceuticals and functional foods
  • Protein Products – traditional, plant-based and alternative protein products
  • Dairy/Lactose Free and more

Each category is approached with tailored formulation, taste, and shelf-life strategies.

Food & Beverage product development needs differ based on the stage of the business.

Thinking Forks works with:

  • Startups (0–1 product development)
  • Scale-ups (portfolio expansion and optimization)
  • Large FMCG companies (innovation and cost efficiency)

Engagement models are customized based on business stage and goals.

Yes. Food R&D can be modular depending on the requirement.

Short-term engagements include:

  • 3–4 week formulation sprints
  • Shelf-life testing and validation
  • Regulatory and compliance checks
  • Pilot-scale trials before commercialization

This helps brands validate ideas quickly before full-scale investment.

Absolutely, Thinking Forks works with clients across:

  • America
  • Middle East
  • South-East Asia
  • Europe

Projects are executed remotely or on-site depending on scope.

Successful food product development is measured by both market success and operational efficiency.

Thinking Forks has:

  • Launched 250+ products
  • Enabled $500M+ in client revenue
  • Delivered $20M+ in cost savings
  • Filed 9 patents (3 granted)

These outcomes span multiple categories including snacks, beverages, and functional foods etc.

Starting a food R&D project typically involves defining the product idea, goals and constraints if any.

With Thinking Forks, the process is:

  1. Share your product brief or challenge
  2. Evaluate feasibility and scope
  3. Define project roadmap and timelines
  4. Begin R&D with milestone-based execution

You can initiate this through the contact form on the website https://thinkingforks.com/contact-thinkingforks/ or write into us at hello@thinkingforks.com

Let’s Talk

Ready to Partner with India’s Premier Food & Beverage Consultancy to support your growth journey?  

If you’re building something new or need re-engineering or are ready to scale, we’d love to hear from you.

Write to us at hello@thinkingforks.com

Let’s build what matters.