As a Research and Development Scientist for Kraft Foods, Rick was responsible for creating new salad dressings – some of which are still on the market today.
In 1979, Rick started his first company, Food Masters, Inc., which served as a manufacturers’ agent for a wide variety of food ingredients for both small and large processors. Through his brokerage, he was well-versed with suppliers across the country.
While at Food Masters, Rick became well-aware of the lack of ingredients that could fulfill the increasing demand for healthy food claims. Research showed that this was not just a temporary phenomenon but a growing future for the food processing industry.
Incorporating his food chemistry background, in October of 1991, Rick created LifeWise Ingredients to develop his own line of healthy food ingredient flavor systems.
LifeWise’s pioneer product was a blend of natural food extracts to replace the need for controversial flavor enhancers, such as MSG. That product was Potentiator Plus.
Moving on in years, the no-fat/low-fat era came into existence. Low-fat and no-fat products were on the fast track all over the country; however, these items were lacking the mouthfeel inherent with full fat products. With that thought in mind, the Simply Rich line of products was developed to address these issues.
After multiple product extensions, Simply Rich was found to not only assist in capturing that full fat, mouthfeel presence, but also helped in masking the undesirable flavor notes associated with fortified products, such as grassy notes and beany notes in soy-based items.
He brought a strong entrepreneurial spirit and 15 years of ingredient experience with him.
It was always Dean’s dream to own his own business and be his own boss.
It was a win-win!
Deans family is near and dear to his heart.
Not only did he immerse himself in this new business to make it his own, but he was able to see his kids off to school each morning and be heavily involved in their sporting activities not to mention being there for multiple other special moments in their lives.
“I love being a dad (and husband) and wanted to provide for my family more than just financially”
Since then, LifeWise and its product offerings have continued to evolve as a leader in the flavor modification arena.
Our company’s proven success in optimizing taste, providing a cleaner label, and targeting health and wellness concerns in a wide variety of foods and beverages attests to our trust, drive, and dedication to our customers.
We extend the invitation for your organization to join the LifeWise family – because our true belief is that “flavor is just the beginning!”