Donna Wamsley is a Grit Daily contributor who brings more than 12 years of experience in the food and beverage industry to our Science team. Prior to SōRSE Technology, Donna served as a Flavor Development Manager and Flavorist at Callisons, a global leader in mint extraction and flavor manufacturing based in Olympia, Washington. Her accomplishments include: Flavor research and development for CPG companies, varietal improvement research, and analytical/extraction research. Donna earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puget Sound.

Donna’s first job in Food and Bev was in Quality Assurance. From there, she moved into Product Development and flavor work. As a flavorist, she developed flavors from raw ingredients. She calls herself a “mint snob.” With Callisons, she worked with CPG companies on commercialization of their products. Safety, sensory experience, and consistency are all qualities she looks for when analyzing ingredients. She’s also very interested in the agriculture behind the ingredient – she commented that it can be challenging to develop a consistent flavor when you are sourcing your ingredient (like mint or cannabis) from different regions, different farms with different growing conditions. Donna also likes to dig into flavor trends, commenting that strawberry is popular right now because it pairs well with other flavors. Currently Donna is managing the SōRSE lab as well as doing her emulsion development work.

Donna is close to becoming certified as a Flavorist. There are only 200 certified flavorists in the world. This involves having a sponsor, taking an oral exam and a written exam. She’d like to see CBD in chewing gum and oral care like tooth paste and mouth rinses.