Inside the test kitchen powering Coles’ home brand-led profit surge
How to get into the Dubai chocolate craze? What went wrong with a three fish bake? This is what former MasterChef contestant Michael Weldon ponders as he tries to find the next big thing.
Michael Weldon is now a development chef at the Coles test kitchen in Melbourne. Eamon Gallagher
Four perfect scoops of vanilla bean ice cream are sitting in white ramekins, a numbered card for each. Michael Weldon takes one scoop at a time and considers its texture, taste and aroma. Then he picks one.
The former MasterChef contestant now runs the test kitchen at Coles and is taking part in one of his own blind taste tests. Luckily, he picks the supermarket’s brand as his favourite. A second tester considers the scoops – including from Aldi and premium brand Connoisseur – and lands on ice cream from Woolworths.
Carrie LaFrenzSenior reporterCarrie LaFrenz is a senior journalist covering retail/consumer goods. She previously covered healthcare/biotech. Carrie has won multiple awards for her journalism including financial journalist of the year from The National Press Club. Connect with Carrie on Twitter. Email Carrie at carrie.lafrenz@afr.com
