Innovation Studio™ team of researchers, application experts, market analysts and strategists
Our Innovation Studio team is an extension of your team.
The Leprino Difference
We have developed a custom proprietary innovation process

Meet a few of our team members


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R&D Food Scientists & Application Specialists
Marketing Strategists & Consumer Researchers
Business Development & Nutrition Sales Experts

R&D Food Scientists & Application Specialists


Richard Merrill

Richard Merrill

Vice President of Global Nutrition Innovation

Richard is a PhD dairy chemist with over 30 years in the industry. He has experience in R&D strategy development, patent strategy, regulatory guidance, and food safety whose career has led to advancements in microbiology, cheesemaking, and dairy ingredient functionality and processing.

Angela Queneau

Angela Queneau

Director of Global Nutrition R&D

Angela has a BS and MS in Food Science from Ohio State University and Purdue University, respectively. She also has 9 years of CPG product development in baker, bars, and snacks; as well as 6 years of experience in dairy ingredient manufacturing.

Marketing Strategists & Consumer Researchers


Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams

Senior Manager of Marketing & Innovation, Nutrition

Vanessa has a BA in Strategic Marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. She has over 20 years of experience in consumer research and innovation pipeline development.

Andrea Herrera

Andrea Herrera

Manager of Marketing & Innovation, Nutrition

Andrea has a BS in Food Industrial Engineering from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (Lima, Peru), as well as a MS in Agriculture from Washington State University & an MBA in Marketing from Louisiana State University. She has 7 years of experience in R&D, and B2B & CPG marketing & innovation.

Business Development & Nutrition Sales Experts


B.T. Nauslar

B.T. Nauslar

Vice President of Nutrition Commercial Development & New Business Ventures

B.T. received his undergraduate degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned an MBA from Cornell’s Johnson School of Management. B.T. has been with Leprino since 2009 and currently is responsible for all commercial aspects of the Leprino Nutrition business, including sales and marketing leadership of our dairy ingredients business as well as overall leadership of the Ascent protein brand.

Jim Camerlo

Jim Camerlo

Senior Director, Nutrition Sales

Jim holds a BS in Business Management from Colorado State University. In his 32 years at Leprino he has worked in foodservice distribution sales, R&D field support, regional and national account sales, leadership of multiple commercial cheese segments and customer service.

state-of-the-art pilot plant
Leprino Nutrition's R&D Pilot Plant
Innovation R&D Pilot Plant
Our R&D Pilot Plant photo
We built a $15 million dollar state-of-the-art pilot plant in 2017
Sngle and multi-stage drying and blending capabilities
Leprino Nutrition's R&D Pilot Plant
Innovation R&D Pilot Plant
Our R&D Pilot Plant photo
We built a $15 million dollar state-of-the-art pilot plant in 2017
Sngle and multi-stage drying and blending capabilities
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Our Capabilities


Click on the links below to learn more about our Innovation Studio capabilities.

Research & Insights

Research & Insights

  • Custom primary research – both qualitative & quantitative
  • Consumer behaviors & preferences
  • Product claims and benefits research
  • Concept testing
  • Custom sensory testing
Market Analysis & Strategy

Market Analysis & Strategy

  • In-depth market data & category analysis
  • Competitive assessments
  • Global category and consumer trend analysis
  • White space analysis
  • Business strategy development
Research & Development

Research & Development

  • In-depth technical and application expertise
  • Custom ideations
  • Product/concept development
  • Rapid prototyping
Innovation Accelerators

Innovation Accelerators

For faster development and execution, customers have access to our global network of:

  • Flavor & texture specialists
  • Functional ingredient developers
  • Application & form experts
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