Written by Authority Magazine’s Martita Mestey
“You should have enough knowledge about the purchaser of your product to create a vignette about them. Who are they? Why do they need this product? What similar products do they use? How often will they buy it? What types of shops will they find it at? Very rarely do brands use classic demographics as their primary targets anymore. Now it’s all about targeting behavior and beliefs.”
-Michael Nestrud, PhD, VP of Strategic Accounts at Curion
As a part of Authority Magazine’s series called “5 Things You Need To Create a Successful Food or Beverage Brand”, Michael Nestrud, PhD VP, Strategic Accounts, dug in with impactful answers.
With over 15 years of Food and Sensory Science experience including a PhD earned from Cornell University, Michael guides Curion forward through his passion and expertise. A true student of the human experience through the lenses of sensory science and culinary arts,
Michael brings 15 years of research and consumer experience from respected establishments like the U.S. Army, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and MNC, a consumer and market research firm he founded and directed. Michael’s impressive career is built on his foundation belief that the strategic application of sensory and consumer research (paired with the right statistical and analysis and interpretation) provide endless potential to answer questions relating to the human experience of consumption, including how products make us think, feel, and behave.
Michael’s published work explores topics such as new methods, meal compatibility (specifically MREsTM) multivariate statistics, and the measurement of human emotions associated with consumption. He earned an A.O.S. from the Culinary Institute of America and was a culinary teaching fellow prior to completing his Bachelors and PhD in Food and Sensory Science at Cornell University. In 2020, Michael joined Curion’s team as VP, Partnership Solutions. He additionally serves as an officer the Pangborn Sensory Science Trust and served as a 2017 and 2021 Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium Chair.
MM: Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?
MN: Today I wear a lot of hats, I am a food scientist, chef, sensory scientist, statistician, and culinary psychologist. Getting here was a lucky accident… Read the full interview here.
About Curion:
Curion specializes in delivering impactful insights to the world’s top CPG companies, helping them develop winning, repeatedly purchased products. Curion’s deep data-driven product insights, sensory expertise, and state-of-the-art consumer centers enable them to uncover responses to critical client objectives. With over five decades of experience in the product testing industry, Curion is dedicated to guiding clients with their proprietary Product Experience and Performance (PXP™) platform, connecting brands to consumers at every step. An innovator in the industry, Curion recently developed a groundbreaking benchmarking product testing method, the Curion Score™, which has become a trusted and sought after tool within the industry. As one of the largest product and consumer insights companies in the U.S., Curion has built a reputation for excellence and trust among the world’s leading consumer brands. Curion’s commitment to innovation and expertise, coupled with a passion for delivering actionable insights, makes Curion a valuable partner for companies looking to develop and launch successful products.
