“Choose your community and how you want to make a difference.” Brian Stein (nutrition and food science, ’00) has followed this mantra in many ways since his days as a Colorado State University student. Now, as senior sales manager with Nestlé Global, he is staying connected CSU, and making a difference as a mentor for future professionals and as an active volunteer in his local community.
In honor of Stein’s career achievements and ongoing connections to the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and CSU, he has been named a College of Health and Human Sciences Outstanding Alumnus. “Over the last 22 years, Brian has established himself as an accomplished product development food scientist,” lauded Stein’s nominator, Chris Gentile, head of the department. “His expertise in nutrition, leadership skills, and market wisdom have elevated him to a position of great influence in retail grocery sales with Nestlé Global.”
‘Extremely passionate about food’
“I grew up with a lot of limitations from allergies,” Stein recalled. Learning to manage his allergies through diet, he was intrigued to learn that food was more than just a personal health solution. “Nutrition piqued my interest,” he said. “I’m extremely passionate about food.” He found an alignment between his strengths in science and his curiosity about health and performance while majoring in nutrition and food science at CSU.
“Colorado State gave me great exposure to what food science and nutrition meant,” said Stein. He appreciated the emphasis on how nutrition could shape human health across the lifespan, both for individuals and for populations.
Meaningful mentorship
Influential faculty mentors shaped Stein’s undergraduate experience. For example, Professor Chris Melby hired him for a summer role in his lab. Stein valued Melby’s mentorship, both in the academic and research learning spaces, and in helping him hone his career aspirations. Reflecting on what he learned that summer, Stein said he knew he wasn’t suited to an institutional role in a lab. “Sometimes you need to eliminate what you don’t want.”
Perhaps more formative was Melby’s enduring advice: “Whatever you do, always go for the gold.” Stein draws on this guidance to this day. “Why do something if you’re not going to put your heart and soul into it? I find it enlightening being around those who are successful and how they view life through the lens of learning and driven with curiosity, good intent, and playing in an open space mindset.”
Stein recalled other key figures from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition who shaped his education: Professors Kenneth Allen, Mary Harris, David Sampson, Martha Stone, and Garry Auld. Auld introduced Stein to “the world of food on the grocery side,” which helped Stein focus his future endeavors on the practical, fundamental application of nutrition science in the real world.
“Dr. Auld exposed me to the regulatory side of the food industry,” Stein remembered. “I was responsible for surveying nutritional content of grocery food in the dairy aisle, tracking the average amount of sugar per serving in an Excel spreadsheet. It was eye-opening.”
Healthy inspirations
Meanwhile, Stein found community at CSU with fraternity brothers in Phi Kappa Tau and the Triathlon Club. “I enjoyed the focus on positive activity,” he said. The club trained together and took road trips to compete in triathlons around Colorado and as far away as his home state of California.
Stein also gained experience with food in another setting – as a cook at Johnny Carino’s. “I was very comfortable around food,” he said. “Having that background helped me when going into the corporate world of product development.”
After graduating, Stein returned to Los Angeles, where the food manufacturing industry was expanding. He was hired to help develop product lines for brands sold in Trader Joe’s markets, including frozen meal kits. Working among many people with degrees in marketing and sales, Stein found his science foundation useful and integrated the consumer and manufacturing aspects easily.
Stein was recruited to join Nestlé Global’s team in Denver, followed by stints in Kentucky, Arkansas, Ohio, and Texas. One of Stein’s primary mentors and previous supervisors, Sandy Metko, had a background in sales and marketing, and was inspired by Stein’s science savvy to return to school to study nutrition. Likewise, she encouraged Stein to advance his education; he earned an MBA from Texas A&M University–San Antonio in 2016.
Understanding customers
In 2015, Stein and his family returned to Los Angeles, where he has continued to excel at Nestlé Global. He currently supervises a sales team of 10 who work with Albertson’s/Safeway, the second-largest conventional grocer in the United States. Stein’s familiarity with Colorado is helpful: he and his team work with the chain’s Denver buying office, which serves a large western region.
“There’s a regionality component to brands,” he explained; his role is to align the mix of products with consumer trends. This can include locally specific flavor profiles and nutrition needs. In the mountain west region, convenient performance nutrition is a priority for outdoor enthusiasts, for example. “You are ultimately responsible for the customer base of the business.”
The next wave of optimizing products for consumer markets is digital. Stein is energized by what he and his team can learn from – and do with – data, such as consumer product affinity. Analyzing customer profiles can help suggest new products, such as through coupons offered at the check-out counter. “Machine learning is next,” Stein said.
‘Doing for others’
As a high school student in Southern California, Stein attended Ignatius Loyola, a large all-male Jesuit high school. “It was very influential,” Stein recalled, “in teaching me to focus on serving others.” His high school experience was also formative in shaping Stein’s care for community. “Loyola is renowned for vocational work – doing for others.”
Stein is proud that Nestlé shares his passion for community work. The large international company helps its employees invest in local organizations by providing several days of paid charitable work per year. Stein also credits his wife, Katie, a healthy lifestyle enthusiast, who is, “the best at getting our family to build traditions and memorable experiences.” Stein and family channel their volunteer time into making a difference at a local food bank and temporary shelter for kids and teens, which Stein finds very rewarding.
At Nestlé, Stein is grateful to work with a lot of great people with similar values. “You are a product of your environment,” he reflected.
Stein is a leader in his field through service: he is the president of the Southern California Frozen and Refrigerated Food Council, a non-profit trade association with a purpose to exchange, discuss and develop ideas to further improve and stimulate the promotion of frozen and refrigerated foods. The council puts on several events throughout the year, with proceeds benefitting the community.
Another way Stein invests in his community is to stay connected to his alma mater. He returned to campus to share a guest lecture with students last October, and is motivated to support mutually beneficial pathways between Nestlé and CSU. “Brian has been a champion for CSU and has been advocating to strengthen internship opportunities for current students in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Nestlé and faculty research,” Gentile noted in his nomination.
“Better things are gained when you give your time, and give back to your community,” Stein said.
Read about all College of Health and Human Sciences 2022-2023 award recipients.
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
