Meet Marya Ahmed
“Every day is different and that’s what makes the flavour industry so exciting. One day I’m baking shortbread, the next I’m working on beverages or showcasing new flavour trends to customers.”
Name: Marya Ahmed
Company: ICG Flavours
Job Title: Junior Application Technologist
Degree: MSc Food and Nutrition Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University
Finding a Career in Food
From a young age, Marya Ahmed knew she wanted to work in a field connected to food, nutrition and creativity.
“I was really interested in sports, nutrition, food and anything related to food. That was always where my vibe was.”
Initially, Marya studied Clinical Nutrition during her bachelor’s degree. However, after gaining experience in the field, she realised that a hospital-based clinical setting was not the right fit for her.
“It was nice, don’t get me wrong, but it was too depressing for me. I realised I wanted something more creative.”
That turning point came during an internship at Rawabi, one of the largest dairy companies in the UAE, where she worked in New Product Development (NPD).
“It was amazing. It was creativity with food, but also scientific. That’s when I realised this was exactly what I wanted to do.”
Wanting to pursue a career in food innovation, Marya moved to the UK to study a MSc in Food and Nutrition Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University.
Discovering the Flavour Industry
After completing her master’s degree, Marya originally planned to work in product development for a food company. However, after applying for a wide range of roles, she discovered an opportunity at flavour house ICG Flavours.
“I really got lucky with this role because we work across every category, bakery, dairy, beverages and savoury. I get exposure to everything at once.”
As the company’s Junior Application Technologist, Marya works closely with flavours created by the flavourists and tests them across a wide variety of food and beverage applications.
“If we’ve got different strawberry flavours, my job is to test which one works best in each application, whether that’s a sports drink, ice cream or cookies.”
The role allows her to combine creativity, food science and sensory evaluation every day.
A Typical Day in Applications
No two days are ever the same in Marya’s role.
Customer projects drive much of the work in the applications lab, meaning the team could be preparing bakery concepts one week and beverage applications the next.
“Tomorrow we’ve got a bakery customer visiting, so today we’re preparing different baked applications to showcase flavours. Next week we might be working on beverages instead.”
Alongside customer briefs, the team also develops concepts around current flavour trends.
“We showcase trending flavours too, like matcha or ube, to inspire customers.”
Much of Marya’s work involves preparing recipes, applying flavours at different dosage levels and evaluating how they perform in different bases.
“It’s time consuming, but really fun.”
One of her favourite parts of the role is the bakery work.
“I love the applications side. I was literally making shortbread just before this interview.”
Building Sensory Skills
One of the biggest learning curves for Marya has been developing her sensory vocabulary and flavour evaluation skills.
“Before joining the industry, I just enjoyed eating food. I didn’t really analyse flavours deeply.”
Now, she is learning how to identify and describe specific flavour notes and profiles.
“You have to differentiate between vanillin notes, lactonic notes and lots of other flavour characteristics. That was really challenging at first.”
She explains that building a ‘sensory library’ in your head takes constant practice.
“It requires constant training. I still think sensory is one of the hardest parts of the role.”
At the same time, she has continued developing practical food science skills through hands-on application work.
“The food science side improves naturally because you’re constantly working on the bench, baking and testing products.”
Learning Through Experience
Although Marya joined Irish Country Gold only seven months ago, she says the amount she has learned already has been immense.
“The experience I’ve gained in such a short time has honestly been incredible.”
Because the company works across so many categories, she feels the role has opened up a wide range of future career opportunities.
“I think I could go almost anywhere from here because I’ve had exposure to so many different categories already.”
While she currently enjoys all areas of applications work, she hopes to eventually move into New Product Development within the wider food industry.
“Maybe one day I’d even like to have my own bakery or food business.”
Preparing for the Industry
Marya believes persistence and networking are essential for anyone trying to enter the flavour industry.
“Apply everywhere. Go to networking events. Use LinkedIn. That’s really how I got in.”
She also encourages students to prepare thoroughly for interviews and practical assessments.
Her own interview at Irish Country Gold included both a panel interview and a practical flavour application exercise.
“They gave me flavours and asked me to create flavoured sweets. I remember researching flavour trends and candy trends beforehand, and that preparation really helped me.”
For Marya, curiosity, preparation and willingness to learn are key qualities for success.
“Always try your best to prepare. Even if you don’t know exactly what’s coming, preparation really helps.”
Advice for Students Interested in Flavours
Marya encourages students to immerse themselves in the industry as much as possible.
Her advice includes:
- Attend networking and industry events
- Connect with people on LinkedIn
- Apply broadly for internships and entry-level roles
- Stay curious about flavour trends
- Build confidence through practical experience
“The flavour industry can feel intimidating at first, but once you get exposure to it, it’s such an exciting place to work.”
Real world insights
Marya shares what it’s like working as a Junior Application Technologist, from preparing bakery and beverage flavour applications to supporting customer projects and exploring emerging flavour trends.
