Team

With nearly 30 years of experience as a food industry executive, Jim has a strong background in commercial strategy development and new product introductions. His knowledge of the food industry spans specialty food ingredients, food testing services, and private equity. Prior to joining OC Flavors, Jim served as president, North America for Mérieux NutriSciences; and he spent 22 years at Tate & Lyle, where he held multiple roles across sales, marketing, and product management, including vice president of North American Sales for Specialty Food Ingredients and vice president of Global Product Management for Texturants.

"I'm honored and thrilled to serve as CEO of this great company," Jim said. "The innovative and customer-focused culture is the strength of this company. With the team's talented R&D personnel and dedication to organic and natural flavor systems, OC Flavors is positioned to be a significant player in the food industry."

Sahana earned her undergraduate degree at Indiana University - Kelley School of Business, majoring in marketing, international business, and psychology. She received her MBA at Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management.

Her work experience includes a role as a consultant in Strategy & Operations at Deloitte Consulting in Chicago. Sahana then transitioned to Hickory Farms when a private equity firm acquired it to help launch and eventually lead its Strategy & Analytics team. While in business school, Sahana realized she wanted to be an operator rather than an investor, which led her to Shore Capital's CXO Program and eventually matching with OC Flavors.

"I enjoy the diversity of my role at OC Flavors," Sahana said. "I get to work on a variety of strategic projects with pretty much everyone in the OCF family, so I’m constantly learning about the business and discovering ways in which we can grow and become a stronger flavor company."

When she's not working, Sahana loves to travel internationally, try new bars and restaurants, hike, run, attend HIIT classes, and bake sweet treats.

Carrie holds a Bachelor of Science in food science, a Bachelor of Arts in food and nutrition, and an MBA with a marketing focus. She has spent more than 30 years in the food industry working in sales, marketing, and product development roles. Prior to joining OC Flavors, Carrie served as vice president of Sales and Marketing at The Parker Food Group.

"My passion in food started when I was in 4-H, and my mom and grandma taught me how to cook and understand the functionality of ingredients in the bakery items we were making," Carrie said.

When she's not working, Carrie enjoys spending time on the lake with family and friends and watching her daughter play softball and her son pursue his theatrical dreams.

Stephanie earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago. She began her career in investment banking and brought that knowledge and expertise to OC Flavors when she joined the team as CFO in 2022.

"I truly admire our team," Stephanie said. "It's like a family here. People truly care about what they do and about doing the right thing—for our customers, our vendors, and for each other."

Outside of work, Stephanie is involved with her parish, St. Vitus Catholic Church, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She also likes to cook, play Scrabble, and go on road trips.

Fun fact about Stephanie: She once styled an Oscar-nominated producer and director for the 94th Academic Awards season.

Huong has over 40 years of experience in the field of food chemistry. It was an interest in gardening and cooking that inspired her to become a flavor chemist.

"As a life-long scientist, I enjoy the trial-and-error process of creating the perfect flavor profile," Huong said. "I like that the flavor industry is always evolving, so there is always a new creation that is just waiting to be discovered. I am accomplished in originating many flavors that are used in today’s popular grocery items. My personal favorite flavor is vanilla."

Huong lives in Riverside, California, with her two sons.

Edith holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. For more than 25 years, she has worked in food safety, quality, and compliance/regulatory. During that time, Edith has worked for both large and small food manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies.

Edith has been with OC Flavors since 2019 and is PCQI, HACCP, and Food Defense Coordinator certified. Her work mottos are "Do it right the first time." and "Honesty is the best policy."

In her free time, Edith and her husband love to travel, try new restaurants and foods, and spend time with their kids and grandchildren.

Carlos, a California native, has worked at OC Flavors as plant director for the past seven years.

As plant director, Carlos oversees the manufacturing facility operation team. His focus is delivering on time, every time—and with a 99% on-time delivery rate, he keeps that promise.

Carolina Romero Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience in all areas of human resources including Operations, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Safety, and HR Compliance, Talent engagement strategy, total rewards, performance management, employee wellness and safety, workplace investigations and employee training. Her industry expertise includes in manufacturing, software training, medical management, auditing and loss control, medical DME supply distribution, retail, medical imaging and has been in the Flavor Manufacturing industry for the last 3 years.

Carolina holds her B.A. in Education and English Literature from California State University Long Beach. She is an active member of Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

In her spare time, Carolina enjoys cooking, traveling, wine tasting and writing romance novels.

Crista earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. She began her career on the technical side of the business moving from the laboratory to training and consulting for the food industry. Crista has over 12 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and has worked in marketing for the B2B sector for the past five years, translating science into consumable business insights.