Trilliant Food & Nutrition
Principal Process Engineer
Trilliant Food & Nutrition, Little Chute, Wisconsin, United States, 54140
Overview
About Us: Trilliant Food & Nutrition is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer of premium coffee and powdered beverages, headquartered in Little Chute, Wisconsin. We provide branded and private label solutions across retail, foodservice, and e-commerce channels. Horseshoe Beverage Company, based in Neenah, WI, is a leading ready-to-drink beverage manufacturer delivering an exceptional beverage experience with a vertically integrated supply chain that supports innovation and high quality products. Our brand portfolio includes Victor Allen’s®, Dutch Bros® beverages and Nurri™, our better-for-you protein beverage line. We are passionate about beverages and building a team that is energized. Explore opportunities at Trilliant or Horseshoe to see if your talents fit our openings. Our Core Values: Diversity and Inclusion at Trilliant and Horseshoe: We believe talented, great people are the building blocks of our success. We seek the right people with the right attitude and provide opportunities to excel. Position Overview
The Principal Process Engineer / SME – Coffee Processing
will serve as the company’s technical expert for all coffee-based beverage processes, driving innovation, operational excellence, and category growth. This role will lead the engineering execution behind new coffee-based product platforms (RTD, cold brew, functional blends, protein-infused coffee, energy coffee, and powdered formats), ensuring superior quality, regulatory compliance, and cost efficiency. As a subject matter expert, the role will embed deep coffee-specific expertise, accelerate innovation pipelines, and build internal capability to deliver consistent, high-performing products at scale. Responsibilities
Lead end-to-end coffee process development—from pilot to commercial scale—covering extraction, aroma capture, homogenization, stabilization, and thermal treatments. Drive continuous improvement to reduce losses, improve yields, and optimize energy usage across coffee manufacturing operations. Ability to drive strategic initiatives and influence stakeholders at all levels. Troubleshoot complex coffee-specific process challenges (e.g., oil separation, sedimentation, bitterness development). Develop and maintain process documentation, validation protocols, and compliance records. Entrepreneurial mindset with an initiative-taking, hands-on approach to problem solving. Mentor and develop cross-functional teams (Operations, R&D, Quality) to build sustainable in-house coffee expertise. Qualifications
Bachelor’s or master’s in chemical engineering, Food Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred). 10+ years in process engineering, with extensive experience in coffee or complex beverage systems. Proven ability to scale processes, improve efficiency, and deliver high-quality, compliant products. Familiarity with sustainability strategies, environmental regulations, and global regulatory compliance requirements. Strong analytical, communication, and project leadership skills in high-volume manufacturing environments. Ability to influence and drive alignment among diverse internal and external stakeholders. Hours, Location and Pay
We offer a competitive base pay rate and comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees. This role works standard business hours Monday – Friday at either our Little Chute or Neenah, WI manufacturing facility. Physical and Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, hear, use hands to type data, use a personal computer and telephone. The employee may occasionally operate business machines and lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Mental demands include multi-tasking, decision making, problem solving, comparing, copying, computing, compiling, analyzing, coordinating, and synthesizing data. Potential for exposure to chemicals, heights, loud noises, mechanical equipment, wet environments, and other hazards. Safety Statement
At Trilliant and Horseshoe, safety is every employee’s first responsibility. We expect all employees to adhere to safety practices, have the courage to stop unsafe acts, and immediately report unsafe conditions. Disclosures
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work and are not exhaustive. Personnel may be required to perform duties outside of normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. Responsible for following food safety/regulatory policies and procedures and reporting concerns to the Production or Quality Manager. Trilliant Food & Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage Company are Drug Free Workplaces. All applicants are subject to a drug screen and background check. Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage participate in the E-Verify process. EEO/AA including Vets and Disabled. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at HR@trilliantfood.com and include your contact information. Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage are Equal Opportunity Employers. The principles of the OECD and UN have been used as guidance in our human rights practices and procedures.
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About Us: Trilliant Food & Nutrition is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer of premium coffee and powdered beverages, headquartered in Little Chute, Wisconsin. We provide branded and private label solutions across retail, foodservice, and e-commerce channels. Horseshoe Beverage Company, based in Neenah, WI, is a leading ready-to-drink beverage manufacturer delivering an exceptional beverage experience with a vertically integrated supply chain that supports innovation and high quality products. Our brand portfolio includes Victor Allen’s®, Dutch Bros® beverages and Nurri™, our better-for-you protein beverage line. We are passionate about beverages and building a team that is energized. Explore opportunities at Trilliant or Horseshoe to see if your talents fit our openings. Our Core Values: Diversity and Inclusion at Trilliant and Horseshoe: We believe talented, great people are the building blocks of our success. We seek the right people with the right attitude and provide opportunities to excel. Position Overview
The Principal Process Engineer / SME – Coffee Processing
will serve as the company’s technical expert for all coffee-based beverage processes, driving innovation, operational excellence, and category growth. This role will lead the engineering execution behind new coffee-based product platforms (RTD, cold brew, functional blends, protein-infused coffee, energy coffee, and powdered formats), ensuring superior quality, regulatory compliance, and cost efficiency. As a subject matter expert, the role will embed deep coffee-specific expertise, accelerate innovation pipelines, and build internal capability to deliver consistent, high-performing products at scale. Responsibilities
Lead end-to-end coffee process development—from pilot to commercial scale—covering extraction, aroma capture, homogenization, stabilization, and thermal treatments. Drive continuous improvement to reduce losses, improve yields, and optimize energy usage across coffee manufacturing operations. Ability to drive strategic initiatives and influence stakeholders at all levels. Troubleshoot complex coffee-specific process challenges (e.g., oil separation, sedimentation, bitterness development). Develop and maintain process documentation, validation protocols, and compliance records. Entrepreneurial mindset with an initiative-taking, hands-on approach to problem solving. Mentor and develop cross-functional teams (Operations, R&D, Quality) to build sustainable in-house coffee expertise. Qualifications
Bachelor’s or master’s in chemical engineering, Food Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred). 10+ years in process engineering, with extensive experience in coffee or complex beverage systems. Proven ability to scale processes, improve efficiency, and deliver high-quality, compliant products. Familiarity with sustainability strategies, environmental regulations, and global regulatory compliance requirements. Strong analytical, communication, and project leadership skills in high-volume manufacturing environments. Ability to influence and drive alignment among diverse internal and external stakeholders. Hours, Location and Pay
We offer a competitive base pay rate and comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees. This role works standard business hours Monday – Friday at either our Little Chute or Neenah, WI manufacturing facility. Physical and Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, hear, use hands to type data, use a personal computer and telephone. The employee may occasionally operate business machines and lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Mental demands include multi-tasking, decision making, problem solving, comparing, copying, computing, compiling, analyzing, coordinating, and synthesizing data. Potential for exposure to chemicals, heights, loud noises, mechanical equipment, wet environments, and other hazards. Safety Statement
At Trilliant and Horseshoe, safety is every employee’s first responsibility. We expect all employees to adhere to safety practices, have the courage to stop unsafe acts, and immediately report unsafe conditions. Disclosures
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work and are not exhaustive. Personnel may be required to perform duties outside of normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. Responsible for following food safety/regulatory policies and procedures and reporting concerns to the Production or Quality Manager. Trilliant Food & Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage Company are Drug Free Workplaces. All applicants are subject to a drug screen and background check. Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage participate in the E-Verify process. EEO/AA including Vets and Disabled. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at HR@trilliantfood.com and include your contact information. Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage are Equal Opportunity Employers. The principles of the OECD and UN have been used as guidance in our human rights practices and procedures.
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