Freelance food scientist · Mumbai · Working worldwide
Food product development, from your first recipe to the production line.
I'm Drishti Majithia, a food scientist with five years of industry R&D in the US. I help food and beverage brands develop, fix and scale their products, and I work with HoReCa brands on menu and recipe development.
Free, 30 minutes, on video. After the call, I send a written proposal scoped to your project.
M.S. Food Science, Texas A&M
Experience and education
Experience
Categories I've worked on
Services
What I can help with
Most projects use one or more of these. Every proposal is scoped to your product, so you only pay for the work you need.
New product development (NPD)
Turn a concept or a kitchen recipe into a working formulation, through benchmarking, ingredient selection and benchtop prototypes.
Read more Idea to production trialEnd-to-end product development
One plan from brief to a product ready for a production trial: sourcing, formulation, scale-up, shelf life and handover documents.
Read more Improve what existsReformulation and troubleshooting
Fix texture, stability or taste problems, reduce sugar or cost, or shorten the ingredient list of a product you already make.
Read more Kitchen or bench to plantScale-up support
Standardized recipes, batch formulas and process parameters, with remote support for trials at your kitchen, co-packer or plant.
Read more StabilityShelf-life studies
A study designed around how your product is stored and sold, testing coordinated with an accredited lab, and a clear recommendation.
Read more HoReCaMenu and recipe development
Menu creation and recipe development for restaurants, cafes, hotels and cloud kitchens, with standardized recipes for every outlet.
Read moreHave one specific question rather than a project? Book a Founder consult, a 30-minute call for ₹2,999.
Who I work with
For brands that need a food scientist on a project basis
Startups and established brands, in India and abroad, at any stage from idea to reformulation.
- Early-stage foundersYou have an idea or a recipe and need it turned into a product you can make, sell and keep consistent.
- Family-recipe and home-kitchen brandsYour recipe works at home. You need it standardized and scaled for a cloud kitchen, restaurants and cafes, or retail.
- D2C and FMCG brandsYou're extending a range, reformulating for cost or a shorter label, or fixing a product that isn't holding up on the shelf.
- HoReCa brandsRestaurants, cafes, hotels and cloud kitchens that need new menu items, or recipes standardized so every outlet and batch turns out the same.
- Brands building for another marketYou're developing a product for a country you're not based in. I work remotely with clients across time zones.
Process
How a project works
- 01
Discovery call
Free, 30 minutes on video. We talk through your product, your stage, your market and your timeline.
- 02
Written proposal
Scope, milestones, deliverables, hours, timeline and fee, written for your project.
- 03
NDA and contract
Signed before you share any recipe or formula, and before any work starts.
- 04
Development in milestones
Benchtop rounds, tastings and trials, with a check-in at the end of each milestone.
- 05
Handover
Final formulation, process and specification documents your team or manufacturer can work from.
If you need to share confidential details on the first call, we can sign an NDA before it. More on how I work
Proposals
How I write your proposal
I scope every project separately, based on how many products there are, how complex they are and what stage you're at. You get a written proposal after the discovery call, so you can see exactly what you'll pay for before anything starts.
- Fees are set by milestone, and each milestone has its own deliverables and timing.
- Estimated hours per milestone and my weekly availability are written down.
- Exclusions are listed, including costs that sit with you, like lab tests and courier.
- Work that depends on results stays optional, to be agreed when we know it's needed.
- Working terms are clear: response time, how calls are booked and how tasting samples move.
Example structure
Technical proposal
- Project understanding
- Approach
- Roles and responsibilities
- Milestones and deliverables
- Timeline
- Risks
- Exclusions
- Commercial terms
- Next steps
About
Trained in research, practiced in industry
I spent eight years in the US: a master's in food science at Texas A&M, then five years in product development, most recently as a Product Development Scientist II at Rich Products Corporation. I moved home to Mumbai in 2026 and now work with food and beverage brands as an independent consultant.
More about my backgroundPublished research
Majithia D, Metrani R, Dhowlaghar N, Crosby KM, Patil BS. Assessment and Classification of Volatile Profiles in Melon Breeding Lines Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Plants. 2021;10(10):2166.
Aroma volatile profiling of 28 melon breeding lines using HS-SPME/GC-MS, from my master's research at Texas A&M.
FAQ
Common questions
How much does it cost?
Every project is scoped individually, so there's no fixed price list. The fee depends on how many products there are, how complex they are and what stage you're at. You get a written proposal with the fee for each milestone before any work starts.
How long does product development take?
Most packaged foods take 3 to 6 months from concept to a product that's ready for a production trial. Shelf-life testing adds time. Your proposal includes a timeline built around your product and milestones.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. I sign an NDA before you share any recipe, formula or confidential detail. If you need to share confidential information on the first call, we can sign one before it.
Do you have your own lab?
No. I do bench and kitchen-level development myself. Pilot runs, analytical testing and shelf-life testing happen at your facility, a co-packer, a rented pilot plant or an accredited lab, at your cost. I'll tell you upfront which parts of your project need which.
Tell me about your product
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call. After the call, I send you a written proposal scoped to your project.