Where food innovation is made real

Innovation leadership expertise for New Zealand food & beverage businesses. FMCG | B2B | Foodservice.

You started in food because you had something worth sharing. But between the idea and the shelf, things can become complicated. The category is harder than it looks. The commercial steps aren’t obvious. Brilliant products stall — not because they aren’t good enough, but because the right expertise wasn’t in the room.

Innovators needs change as challenges emerge along the growth journey

New to Food?

New to Food & FMCG but needing guidance to get past industry jargon and complexity to ignite that great idea? Deciphering category, concept tests, manufacturing and how to engage with the people deciding what goes on shelves and menu can be overwhelming.

Your business is taking off but you can't do it all

You've done a great job at building a thriving food business, you know your stuff, but you're stretched so far you can't do it all - maybe you're struggling to focus on developing strategies and plans to enable your growth opportunity, or just need someone to to the mahi and drive key initiatives forward.

Ready for growth but don't have the frameworks to step up?

You're growing and disrupting the category but the lean approach that worked in the beginning lacks the systems and processes needed to reach the next level to embed sustainable growth and enable more innovation.

Range expansion = complexity expansion

Rapid growth and scaling from one hero product to a range brings exponential complexity. This means new strategy & systems for expansion, perhaps growth capital for new capacity and plant. The growing market needs range extensions and you need to move to a portfolio management approach across all your plans.

The risk of disruption is real

The food industry is evolving rapidly - new categories, technologies or routes to market all present disruption risk. If your business is mature, you may be looking to renew your Innovation strategy, assess new channel options, uncover new customer needs, solution models, and maybe even ways of innovating.

Innovation is hard! But with the right support at the right time, growing your brilliant idea into a thriving business is possible.

Services for Your Innovation Journey

Innovation Strategy & Planning

Innovation System & Process

Architecture & Positioning

Scale-Up Readiness

Fractional Innovation Leadership

Innovation Training & Capability

An holistic innovation approach to spot growth opportunities beyond just product into layered solutions.

Identifying fit-for-purpose tools and processes for consistency that build your innovation capability.

Design a purposeful portfolio that’s tiered and targeted, tailored to real customer needs.

Embed a pragmatic system for sustainable growth — from core processes to investment cases.

Senior innovation leadership to guide your business without the cost of a full innovation team.

Support to design, grow and own your innovation capabilities — introducing basic processes to systems.

Design-Led Approach

Who I Work With

Innovation challenges come in all shapes and size. I work with SMEs through to established corporates across the food and beverage sector, to offer credible, commercially grounded innovation support that meets businesses where they are.

My experience spans developing solutions for Ingredient B2B, Foodservice and FMCG retail businesses, working with export markets, initiating R&D programmes, large scale capital investment cases, product marketing & portfolio positioning, managing portfolio performance and leading category, marketing and innovation teams.

You could be an ambitious newcomer finding your feet in the category, a growth-ready business needing scalable systems, or an established player at risk of being disrupted. Whatever the stage, my approach is always grounded in pragmatism, commercial rigour, and genuine care for your success.

If you’re growing through innovation but don’t have the dedicated capability or processes to fully capitalise on your opportunity — this is for you. Let’s find out where you are and what the next move looks like.

How I Work

Choose the approach that fits — or combine them. If specialised technical, regulatory or marketing comms expertise is needed – I can refer you.

Modular/Standalone engagements (1–4 weeks) — you select exactly what you need. Perfect for businesses that need targeted support on a specific challenge without a long-term commitment. One-off workshops/facilitation support, guidance or training.

Project-Based (Typically 4–12 weeks) - Scoped project with defined outputs, milestones and timeline. Ideal when you have a clear innovation challenge that needs focused, structured work to reach a defined outcome. This may be working alongside your team to design and implement ways of working or structuring for the new growth phase.

Fractional Leadership (3–12 months) - Retained relationship as embedded part-time support. For businesses that need a trusted senior innovation leader as a genuine part of the team, without the full FTE cost and not just a consultant.

Why SIB Consulting?

What makes the difference when you work with me?

Someone who has lived it, not just advised on it

Real experience across the full innovation journey — from first idea to commercial result. Design-led, customer need focused, Foodservice, Ingredient B2B and FMCG retail experience.

The whole picture, not just one piece

Strategy, insight-led design, product marketing, commercial, portfolios and processes — innovation capability all in one place, built on the job. Rarely found together.

Clarity where there was confusion

Innovation feels overwhelming. Harness ambiguity and embracing failure as learning to find the path forward. Shift thinking, capability and performance through clear choices, plans and management.

Capability that stays after I leave

Every engagement is designed to leave your team more capable and confident than before, with aftercare check-ins as needed.

Outcomes that last — that’s the promise

Beyond strategy and plans - I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do the legwork to deliver outcomes and create momentum for your business.

My Mission

Give Kiwi food businesses access to the expertise, thinking and support to take innovation from potential to performance.

You went into food because you had something worth sharing. Don’t let the complexity of the industry be the reason the world doesn’t have a chance to taste it!

Let’s talk food innovation...

Don’t let growing pains and industry complexity get in the way of the world tasting your great product!

A conversation costs nothing. Bring your challenge, idea, or sense that something needs to change — and we’ll figure out together what the right support looks like. No templates. No pressure. Just an open conversation about what’s possible.

Email: Sharyn.Barberel@SIBconsultingnz.com

Auckland, New Zealand.