Food and drink brand owners kept asking me the same thing: to taste their product and give them expert objective feedback. That's when I realised there was a gap no one was filling. And that's why I created the Flavour MOT.

I've noticed something that keeps happening. Food and drink brand owners come to me at events or contact me through my website. They feel stressed, stuck, and they're all asking for professional feedback from a flavour expert in the FMCG industry.

The Pattern I Kept Seeing

If you read my previous blog post about blind spots, you know we talked about how being too close to your own product means you can't taste it the way a customer would for the first time.

Over the years I've had founders approaching me in all kinds of situations. At events, through my website, through the podcast. And they're all asking the same question.

Some were getting negative reviews. Some were about to pitch to retailers or investors. They needed reassurance and needed to know what was going on.

The Marine Collagen That Tasted Sweet (But Had No Sugar)

Here's one that really stands out. I had a founder doing marine collagen and naturally it was fishy. They asked their target consumers and had lots of complaints. Not only was it still fishy, but it was also sweet. But they didn't use any sugar or stevia at all.

The only thing they were adding was a masking flavouring to mask the fishy note.

So I tasted it and understood immediately. It wasn't the sweetness. It was the masking flavouring.

They had a candy floss note. When the brain tastes this candy floss note, it perceives it as sweetness. Customers were getting that weird perception of sweetness, but at the same time they still had the fishy notes.

So this brand was asking me what would be the best dosage for the masking flavouring.

It was a bit of a pickle. If you increase the masking flavouring, you mask more fishy notes but increase the sweetness perception. If you decrease it, the sweetness perception decreases but fishy notes become more prominent.

The real issue wasn't the quantity at all. It was choosing a completely different masking flavour that worked with the marine collagen base.

What they really needed to understand was the fundamental of what was going on in their product.

The Earthy Snacks That Weren't Moreish

I mentioned these earthy savoury snacks in my previous blog post about blind spots.

This founder had chosen flavours based on the most popular flavours in the savoury snack category.

But I always say it's the other way around. You have to select what flavours fit your product first, especially if it's a challenging base with very strong earthy notes.

The just salted one was so earthy, I couldn't eat more than a few. You want something moreish. So I suggested he find flavours that cut through and mask the earthiness.

The Gap No One Was Filling

That's when I started thinking there is a real gap here.

When a food or drink brand works with me, it's usually my full service where I do the formulation myself. I do flavour workshops. I spend weeks of back and forth doing product testing.

I love this work. But it takes three to six months and requires significant investment.

But I keep noticing that a lot of founders didn't need that. Sometimes they just needed something quick. They wanted clarity straight away. They needed to know quickly if there was a problem.

Before committing to full formulation service, they needed to know what the problem was and what they can do about it.

They needed that perspective, stepping back and understanding what's the problem and what are their options.

I can fill this gap. I can create something specifically for them.

And this is why I created the Flavour MOT.

What Is the Flavour MOT?

Think of it like an actual MOT you would do for your car. You don't wait until everything breaks down. You get it checked regularly, right?

So the Flavour MOT is where I, as a food scientist with 10 years of industry experience, taste and analyse your product objectively.

I don't just tell you if it tastes good or bad. That would be my personal opinion.

I look at everything. Your flavour profile, the basic taste, the aroma, the mouthfeel, the aftertaste, the balance, the roundness. This is product analysis at its most detailed.

I think about your base, your target consumers, your market, your competitors.

Then I give you a detailed report with exactly what's working, what could be improved and what needs to change. There's always proper structured expert analysis.

Who Is the Flavour MOT For?

I've designed it for food and drink brands in the FMCG sector in a few situations.

Maybe you're about to launch and want reassurance from a flavour expert before you go to retailers or investors.

Or maybe you've been on the market and something feels off but you can't put your finger on what it is.

Or maybe you're getting negative reviews and don't know how to fix it.

The Flavour MOT gives you clarity and confidence through objective feedback.

It's faster than my full formulation service. More affordable, but still serious professional expert feedback you can act on immediately.

Book Your Flavour MOT Now

I'm officially launching the Flavour MOT and offering 25% off for the first 10 people who book with the code MOT26.

I only take four projects per month, so spaces fill up fast.

Book your Flavour MOT now and use code MOT26 at checkout for 25% off.

Here's what you'll get:

• Expert analysis from a food scientist with 10+ years experience
• Detailed tasting notes on your flavour profile, aroma, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and balance
• Clear recommendations on what's working, what could be improved, and what needs to change
• A traffic light report showing exactly where your product stands
• Actionable next steps you can implement immediately

Whether you're about to pitch to retailers, getting negative reviews you don't understand, or just know something feels off, the Flavour MOT gives you the clarity you need.

Book your Flavour MOT here and use code MOT26 for 25% off. Only 10 spaces available at this price.

Because waiting until everything breaks down is too late. Get your product checked now.