Patrick Penny

Experience

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  The Tea Institute at Penn State

  Dec 2010 - May 2014

  Director of Operations

  Hosted four international events to promote tea culture and research; requiring months of preparation with the Penn State administration as well as governmental and private groups from Taiwan and KoreaManaged the Penn State Tea House – a fully functional student run Chinese tea house serving artisan teasHandled all tasks required for daily operation of the Tea Institute including: club lectures, club paperwork, funding, research projects, and club forming tasks

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  Atlantic Cigar Company

  May 2011 - Dec 2011

  Sales Associate

  Developed knowledge of shipping operations, sales, and the cigar industry as a whole while working for one of the USA’s largest cigar retail companies during school breaksHoned knowledge of production, history, and connoisseurship of cigars and artisan tobacco products

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  Analytical Flavor Systems

  Sept 2011 - May 2014

  Cheif Analytical Officer and Co-Founder

  Collected, refined, and analyzed high volumes of data for the “GastroGraph” systemDeveloped and refined my palate while engaging in thousands of tastings on artisan products, and improved my approach as a sensory panel leader through heading hundreds of tasting panels Identified quality indicators in products and optimized production parameters using innovative computer learning and data mining modelsEngaged in all aspects of the company including sales and marketing, team management, and website development to build and maintain a robust company culture Show less

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  Penn State University

  Feb 2012 - May 2014

  Assisted graduate teaching assistants with daily lab activities and gradingMonitored and maintained lab safety and etiquette while guiding my peers through intensive lab protocolsDeveloped skills pertaining to instrumentation including usage of GC-MS and HPLC Promoted academic excellence, addressed student needs, and encouraged involvement among residents in a way that supported the mission of the University and the Department of Housing and Residence LifeDeveloped a positive living environment designed to link community, faculty, and residents, often resolving conflict

  • Teaching Assistant for FDSC 410: Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation

    Jan 2014 - May 2014

  • Resident Assistant for FISE Special Living Option

    Feb 2012 - May 2014
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  Newberry's Yard of Ale

  May 2014 - Jul 2014

  Server

  Guided customers through an ever-growing tap-list to help them identify synergistic beer pairings Provided customers with engaging dialogue, handled monetary transactions, and maintained a sanitary work environment

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  Takasaki City Board of Education - Japan Exchange and Teaching Program(me) (JET)

  Jul 2014 - Jul 2016

  Assistant Language Teacher -外国語助手教師

  Created and implemented an English curriculum focusing on oral communication for over 450 junior high school students and 350 elementary school students which required clear and concise communicationFrequently assessed students speaking and writing skills through creative writing activities and interviewsCoached high-performing students for prefectural English speech competitions Fostered an environment for intercultural exchange and dialoguePerformed a wide array of tasks including: instructing, grading, developing materials, managing student behavior, and adapting to Japan’s work culture– multitasking was critical to timely completion of these tasks Show less

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  Devilcraft Brewing Co.

  Sept 2015 - May 2016

  QA/QC Consultant and Sensory Panel Leader

  Worked directly with the owners of DevilCraft to create a QA/QC program and establish a tasting panel on pre-release beers to evaluate sensory characteristics and identify flawsIdentified critical microbial and chemical assays to meet our quality and safety standards, assisted in sourcing equipment necessary for the assays, and developed the lab protocols for each assay including: yeast cell counts, yeast viability, pitch rates, environmental swabbing, forced wort and forced attenuation testing, and various plating assays to test for bacteria and wild yeast Show less

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  Starbucks

  Oct 2016 - now

  Successfully launched 37 RTD coffee, RTD dairy, and dry tea products in APAC markets while communicating, influencing, and respectfully navigating different cultures and languages. Analyzed and incorporated market trends to create one of the highest turn rate SKU in our Japan partnership’s recent history– Peach Pink Fruits Latte, which sold out in 9 days. Leveraged key relationships with flavor suppliers to continue and accelerate product development grounded in our HCD innovation and development principles while working remotely throughout an ongoing pandemic. Drove greater collaboration between R&D, Product Insights, and our regional teams (China [tea], Japan, Korea) to influence PGT/ CLT questionnaires to obtain robust validation data to inform development and launch decisions. Ensured lab and partner’s needs were met as a lab lead and equipment/OEM liaison, leading the Channel R&D team through 3 successful lab moves in coordination with facilities, lab ops, and OEMs for critical equipment. Supported successful product development and scale up with co-manufacturers through extensive process testing using UHT, Retort, and pasteurization methodologies to support our markets chilled and ambient distribution platforms. Leveraged successes on an asia-based regional project to implement annual savings of USD 0.5MM in our US tea business and USD 1MM in our AP tea business through cross-functional collaboration with Global Tea Quality and Flavor sourcing. Show less Strengthened and executed internal auditing, personnel training, GMP and documentation programs with a highly cross-functional team to achieve a level 2 SQF facility certification for the Teavana DC in under one year Increased Teavana’s tea quality standards by implementing stringent sensory and shelf-life evaluation programs for inbound product, production blends, and on-hand inventoryReduced inbound product turnaround time from 2 weeks to 48 hours through tight reporting of product holds and releasesPerformed systems and process audits, as well as raw material and finished product inspections, and issued RCA and CAPA reports to continuously improve facility, processes, and productsApplied 5s and CI principles to quality assurance lab to elevate efficiency, safety, and cleanlinessEducated partners on tea, HACCP, and food safety principles through lively training sessions, cuppings, and events Show less

  • Lead Product Developer

    Oct 2022 - now

  • Senior Product Developer

    Dec 2020 - Oct 2022

  • Product Developer

    Oct 2018 - Dec 2020

  • Quality Assurance Specialist

    Oct 2017 - Oct 2018

  • Manufacturing Quality Assurance Specialist/ Tea Quality Specialist

    Oct 2016 - Oct 2017