Lets make it work
every project is different, but the way we work isnt.
We start by understanding what you're building and what's already in place. Then we map what's missing; operationally, technically, commercially, and build the team around it.
Food Theory Consulting operates as a hub. At the centre is deep expertise in operations, food technology, and systems design. Around it is a network of specialists built over fifteen years across three continents; chefs, food designers, engineers, R&D scientists, technology integrators, HR specialists, lawyers, architects, and suppliers.
You don't hire a consultant. You get access to everyone you need to open and run a food business, coordinated by someone who has done it before.
We work fast, lean, and without waste.
We use agile methodology adapted for food systems. short sprints, clear deliverables, constant iteration. No bloated consulting reports that sit in a drawer. We embed with your team, identify what's blocking progress, and move. Every project has a clear scope, a clear owner, and a clear outcome.
based in barcelona
We work from our production and research facility in Barcelona. a working fermentation and food production space that doubles as our lab. In-person meetings, tastings, and workshops by appointment. We also work remotely across Europe.
Collaborators
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John Hutt
FOUNDER
John Hutt is a food theorist, technologist, and engineer with over twenty years of experience across restaurant operations, food science, and autonomous systems. He invented and deployed the world's first autonomous kitchen at Remy Robotics, holds patents in automated food systems and AI quality control, and has taught at the Basque Culinary Centre, Barcelona Culinary Hub, and Parsons School of Design. He founded Food Theory Consulting to bring that depth of technical and operational expertise directly to food businesses from first concept to full operation. Based in Barcelona. -
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Miriam Liebana
Designer
Miriam Lugana is an industrial designer specialising in food packaging and food-related product design. She has worked with Le Creuset, Cellar Juan Roca, Mars, and a wide range of food businesses across Europe. Her practice spans packaging design, industrial design, ceramics, and graphic design — bringing a material intelligence to food brands that goes beyond surface aesthetics. Miriam is a core collaborator at Food Theory Consulting, bringing design expertise to projects where visual and physical identity matter as much as operations. -
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Catarina Taborda
FOOD DESIGNER
Catarina Taborda is a food technologist and food designer specialising in new product development for FMCG and food technology companies. Named in the Basque Culinary Centre's 100 Jóvenes Talentos 2024, she brings rare depth — trained at César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, with a masters in gastronomic sciences from Basque Culinary Centre and a masters in project management from EAE Barcelona. She has conducted research at the Arzak laboratory and worked as Senior Food Designer at Remy Robotics. Her work spans freeze drying, microwave food systems, and novel product formulation; designing entire product lines, from concept through to industrial scale. She is a core collaborator at Food Theory Consulting, leading new product development on projects that require serious food science behind the brief.
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Ljubica Gajevic
PASTRY AND MANUFACTURING
is a pastry chef and food technologist specialising in vegan and alternative formulations, high-throughput industrial manufacturing, and pilot production. Trained in the pastry world, her expertise in scaling production from concept through pilot to full industrial output applies across the food industry. She is a core collaborator at Food Theory Consulting, bringing precision formulation and production expertise to projects that require both culinary intelligence and manufacturing rigour. -
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Priscila Guerra
FOOD SCIENTIST
Dr. Priscilla Guerra holds a PhD in food systems from the University of Valladolid, specialising in bread, quality, safety, and regulatory compliance. She achieved the first full safety certification for an autonomous kitchen in New York — a landmark in food technology regulation — and brings unmatched expertise in HACCP, hazard analysis, and navigating complex regulatory environments across multiple jurisdictions. She is a core collaborator at Food Theory Consulting, leading food safety, quality systems, and compliance on projects where getting it right is non-negotiable.
