Kenzie Gonzales is a 2022 graduate of the Fermentation Science and Technology Program at Colorado State University. Gonzales originally comes from Sammamish, Washington and began attending CSU in 2018. She first majored in nutrition and food science before switching over to fermentation science and technology during her second semester. She loves Colorado for the outdoors and its compassionate residents. She loves playing disc golf, painting, going to concerts, hanging out with friends and family, and foraging for mushrooms.
Describe your current position and some of the responsibilities that come with it.
I am currently a lab technician at Meati Foods, a fungal production plant startup. We grow mycelium (mushroom root/cells) in massive bioreactors to then be harvested and processed into a food product. I began as a fermentation associate working in the manufacturing facility until my head turned to the microbiological aspect of our process, which is how I ended up where I am.
Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?
I took this path because it encompasses my values and feels like I am continuing my education. It is an innovative product that uses fermentation to better the Earth by producing a sustainable meatless “meat” product!
How have your education and experiences in the Fermentation Science and Technology program helped you in your career?
My education in the Fermentation Science and Technology Program at CSU has truly prepared me for an ever-changing environment. During my education there was a focus on brewing beer and hands-on experience with a manufacturing facility, which I ended up pursuing, just not with beer. There is an extreme delicacy to working with fungal organisms to keep them happy and healthy. My coursework and more so my professors, gave me an invaluable understanding of that.
What advice do you have for students looking to join your field?
Don’t be afraid to seek something new! Fermentation is a much broader industry than most think and there will always be a company out there pursuing fermentation in maybe a funky way, but that’s the fun of it! Stay open to the weird stuff and the new stuff because you just might find your passion in an evolving niche of fermentation.
The Fermentation Science and Technology Program is in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
