Kerli Kask

Nordic Milk product development specialist Kerli began her career with our company 10 years ago. Although the core of her job has remained the same, the nature of the work has evolved over the years. At the beginning of July, she will celebrate a very important milestone – ten years with Nordic Milk.

“My career with the company began in 2016 when I started working as a product developer at Farmi Dairy in Jõhvi. Back then, the role was perhaps more traditional and aligned more closely with the common perception of a product development specialist’s work. I worked in a rhythm similar to production operations on a daily basis: creating recipes, preparing samples in the laboratory, sending them out, ordering ingredients and additives, communicating with partners, weighing components, and conducting trials. I was involved in every step of the process and maintained constant contact with day-to-day production activities, including its various nuances and challenges,” Kerli recalls.

At the end of 2019, Kerli was offered the opportunity to continue her product development career within the Product Development and Marketing team at the Tallinn office, where she still works today.
“This role differs quite significantly from my previous experience at the Jõhvi plant. However, despite common assumptions, office work is not always ‘better’ or more glamorous than product development in production. Both stages of my career have been very different in nature, and each has had its own advantages and challenges.
Office-based product development is more closely connected to project management, with the goal of creating products that align with the company’s strategy and long-term plans. My daily work still focuses on developing, improving, and launching products for both domestic and export markets that meet established objectives, while serving as a bridge between production and the office. I still create recipes, order ingredients and additives, and communicate with both customers and partners.
The biggest difference compared to my previous role is that I no longer physically prepare samples or conduct production trials myself. We are fortunate to have incredibly capable technologists in Jõhvi, Viljandi, and Põlva who support us in this area. Much more time is now spent in meetings and collaborating with different departments and people. The work is more strategic, goal-oriented, and consumer-focused, ensuring that we meet the expectations and needs of both consumers and our customers,” she explains.

Kerli’s interest in the world of food began in childhood.

Kerli has held a variety of jobs throughout her life. As a young woman, she worked as a cashier at Selver, an assistant in a pharmacy, washed cars, and worked as a cheese maker in the dairy industry.
“Before joining our company, I worked for about a year in a small food manufacturing company in Pärnu as a laboratory technician and quality controller. It was also my first ‘real’ position in my field after graduating from university. Unfortunately, due to workplace bullying, the experience was negative and made me seriously question whether I wanted to work in the food industry at all.
Fortunately, I was soon offered the chance to apply for a Product Developer position at Farmi Dairy. My former classmate Liis, who was already working there as a product developer, recommended me for the role. The company was looking for a second product developer, and thanks to her recommendation, I was invited to an interview and was offered the position immediately afterward.”
“I grew up in the countryside and was exposed to primary agricultural production from a very young age. My father is a small-scale farmer, and our family farm has raised poultry, pigs, and dairy cows over the years. Today, only the dairy herd remains.
After finishing high school, my first choice was to study midwifery, but I was not accepted into the programme. My second choice was Food Technology at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Food Technology and later a master’s degree in Dairy Technology.”

Real life is very different from memorizing yogurt production diagrams

Before starting her role, Kerli already knew that Farmi Dairy was one of Estonia’s leading dairy producers and was well acquainted with Farmi-branded products.
“Even during university, I was a keen follower of product trends and always wanted to try new products appearing on store shelves. Since I specialized in dairy technology, I was determined to find a job where I could genuinely work in my field.
Adjusting to the role was challenging because I had never experienced the operations of such a large dairy plant before. The Jõhvi factory had numerous production lines, a vast range of products, different bases, ingredients, and technologies. It took quite some time to become confident navigating all of it, learning the recipes, and even finding my way around the factory’s long corridors.
University provided the theoretical foundation, but real life is completely different from memorizing a yogurt production flowchart from a textbook. What made the transition much easier were the wonderful people at the Jõhvi plant, who immediately took me under their wing, supported me, and taught me. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude and will never forget their kindness. Thank you, Rita, Krista, Marina, and Viljar K!”

Today, Kerli’s responsibilities include developing export products, private-label products, and products for the domestic market across a wide range of dairy and plant-based categories, including milk and cream products, puddings, curd products, glazed curd snacks, desserts, Skyr, processed cheese, butter, cheese cubes, and smoked cheese.
“I share product categories with my wonderful colleague Kaisa. My responsibilities include recipe development, communication with partners and customers, ordering raw materials, reviewing specifications and forwarding them for approval by the Quality Department, organizing and documenting industrial trials, occasionally preparing samples, conducting nutritional calculations, creating product descriptions and some export specifications, organizing tastings, and creating and modifying recipes in SAP.
On a daily basis, we manage projects together with Production, Accounting (cost calculations), Quality, Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing. I also participate in reformulation projects, such as sugar reduction initiatives and PRIA-funded projects.
Every project is different. Some products come together easily, while others take much longer to develop than expected. The biggest challenge is achieving the perfect balance between taste, production efficiency, shelf life, and cost so that all stakeholders are satisfied.
The pace of work can also be demanding, especially in export markets where we often need to act quickly to stand out and meet customer expectations. Since my role involves collaboration across many departments, misunderstandings can occasionally arise. Working in the office inevitably creates some distance from production, which can sometimes lead to differing perspectives.”
For Kerli, however, the most exciting aspects of her work are creating product concepts, developing flavors, conducting production trials, and analyzing their results.
“My favorite part of the job has always been tasting the trial product the morning after a test run. That’s the moment when you truly find out whether the texture, flavor, and everything else came together as intended.”

Kerli considers herself fortunate because she genuinely loves her job.
“After ten years, I still haven’t become bored. Although it may seem that we’ve already done so much, the possibilities in product development are truly endless.
I love that every day is different and that the topics I work on are incredibly diverse. While classic flavors remain popular, consumers are always searching for something new and exciting. Trends come and go, but to stay at the forefront of product development, we need to be the pioneers willing to surprise people and take risks.
I’m very happy that product development is prioritized and highly valued in our company. Our ideas are appreciated, and we are trusted.”

Despite many years of experience, every day still brings surprises.

According to Kerli, working in product development requires several key qualities.
“A person working in product development must genuinely love food and be interested in what is happening in the food industry worldwide. It is important to identify exciting trends and successfully integrate them into our portfolio while taking our technical capabilities into account.
Professional education is naturally important, as is an understanding of technologies, raw materials, legislation, quality requirements, and hygiene standards. Strong English skills have also been very useful because many of our suppliers and partners are international.
Communication skills are equally important because, at the end of the day, product development begins with people and collaboration.”
She emphasizes that product development is a continuous learning process.
“Despite years of experience, something surprising can happen at any time that completely challenges your previous assumptions—or at least shakes them up a little. Industry partners also play an important role by introducing new ingredients, cultures, and insights into global trends and developments.”

Kerli describes the work environment as extremely positive.
“The people in our company are wonderful. Of course, there are occasional problems and misunderstandings, but overall, it is clear that everyone is working toward the same goal.
I really enjoy the company events and the fact that employees are remembered and appreciated on important occasions. During these ten years, I have witnessed our company grow from a large company into a very large one. It has been fascinating to observe that development from within.
Everything I know about life in the food industry, I have learned here over the past decade. Before joining, I had very little understanding of how a large company operates, how product development processes work, dairy industry quality standards, and many other aspects of the business.
I am incredibly grateful that I ended up working here. This job restored my belief that the food industry is truly my path.”
She also has high praise for her team and colleagues.
“I could go to the ends of the earth with our Product Development and Marketing team—they are some of the best people in my life. The office provides a great working environment. People are ambitious, there is a strong sense of unity, and everyone works hard toward common goals.
People communicate honestly and transparently, and there is always room for a good laugh. I believe that this strong sense of teamwork and mutual support is exactly what keeps people working here for many years.”

Courtesy, equality, and empathy

“I’m a huge fan of our company and our products, and I buy almost exclusively our own products. My refrigerator always contains butter, whole milk, Merevaik cheese spread, Tere classic cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt. Among meat products, I most often buy chicken breast mince, chicken thigh meat, chicken ham, products from the Rakvere Lihakas range, and traditional minced meat.”
Kerli usually switches off from work during her drive home.
“I do occasionally think about work at home, especially when there has been a major issue or an unpleasant situation. Fortunately, I have a three-year-old daughter whose activities and needs quickly take over my attention.
Family life is very important to me. After work, I usually go shopping, cook dinner, and spend time with my daughter. Time is always in short supply, but I think that’s true for all of us.
Most of my hobbies involve physical activity. I love long walks and enjoy going to the gym, although I don’t get there as often as I would like. Two years ago, my family moved into our own house, so spring and summer are busy with gardening and greenhouse projects. As a child, I hated gardening, but now I genuinely enjoy it.
Last year, I also started winter swimming, which has been a fantastic experience, although I wouldn’t call myself a true winter swimmer just yet. I also love cooking and experimenting with new recipes.”
She adds that she would still like to pursue something creative, such as floristry or graphic design.
“Another useful and interesting subject to study would be culinary arts. When I was younger, I might have tried living abroad, but since I didn’t, I now simply want to travel more. My dream destination is New Zealand.”
In life, Kerli believes in simple values: courtesy, equality, and empathy.
“I never laugh at other people’s misfortunes or mistakes, nor do I belittle others. I’m an optimist and generally see the world in positive colours. Every day, I am grateful for what I have, and I make a point of expressing that gratitude.
I increasingly realize that there is no point spending energy on people or situations that I cannot change.”
And one more fun fact: the name of her very first cat was Kohuke! 😊