Greenfield Plants • M&A Integration • Commercialization • FSQA
Executive engineering & operations advisory for manufacturers who build.
FoodChem Solutions helps Food & Beverage, Industrial Products, and Rail Equipment companies turn capital, technology, and ideas into operations that scale and pay back, from concept and capital approval through construction, start-up, production, and growth.
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Senior leadership where the stakes are highest
We step in at the moments that define a company's next decade: a new plant, an acquisition, a product launch, or a capital program that has to deliver.
Greenfield & Brownfield Plants
Site selection, design, capital execution, construction oversight, commissioning, and start-up to full designed capability.
Owner's Agent Services
Independent representation for complex capital projects, keeping scope, schedule, budget, and contractors accountable to the owner.
M&A, Integration & Divestiture
Technical due diligence, post-merger integration, plant consolidation, and disposition of assets.
Commercialization
Product and process development from bench to plant, with stage-gate discipline that links innovation directly to revenue.
Process Technology & FSQA
Aseptic, ESL, hot-fill, and retort processing; food safety and quality systems; operational excellence and cost reduction.
Expert Witness & Forensic Engineering
Investigation, fault analysis, root cause, product liability, and classification support for counsel.
Industries
Where we work
Food & Beverage
Coffee, tea, extracts, ready-to-drink, dairy, cereal, snacks, bakery, and restaurant systems.
Industrial Products
Mission-critical engineered products where failure is not an option, from steel and synthetic rope to specialty wire.
Rail Equipment & Services
Specialty railcars and maintenance-of-way services for Class I, short-line, and regional railroads.
Track record
Results our leadership has delivered
Highlights from FoodChem engagements and our founder's executive career.
- Two concurrent greenfield builds for Westrock Coffee (NASDAQ: WEST), including a 750,000 sq ft single-serve facility, brought to full start-up in 2025
- Co-originated Missouri Western State University's $12M, 20,000 sq ft Houlne Center for Convergent Technology and served as Owner's Agent through commissioning
- Led Gatorade's $100M North American manufacturing consolidation, reducing co-packers from 26 to 15
- Consolidated 30+ Dean Foods dairy plants into strategically located flagship facilities
- Helped raise $700M and complete a majority sale to Onex as CTO and interim COO of WireCo WorldGroup
- Grew enterprise value ~25% and ~28% in consecutive years as President of Herzog Railroad Services
- $12M in annual savings from two PepsiCo inventions; 13 U.S. patents in sterilization, hot-fill, and liquid processing
- Managed a $300M capital plan across 8+ locations in North America and Asia
About
Led by an operator, not a theorist
FoodChem Solutions was founded in 2003 by Michael J. Mastio, Ph.D., as a boutique engineering and ROI advisory firm. Today it brings C-suite and board-level experience to every engagement, with leadership drawn from PepsiCo, YUM! Brands, Dean Foods, WireCo WorldGroup, Herzog, and Westrock Coffee.
We don't just design plants or develop products: we build businesses. Clients get a senior leader who has owned the P&L, signed off on the capital, and stood on the plant floor at start-up.
Listen • Innovate • Collaborate
Clients & partners
Trusted by leading brands
Contact
Let's talk about your next project
Planning a new plant, an acquisition, or a launch? Reach out directly.