Kelsey Tenney

About

Where rigorous science
meets the table.

I'm a food scientist and innovator. As co-founder and VP of Research & Development at Voyage Foods, I built the company's science and operations — and scaled them from molecular first principles to industrial manufacturing and global supply chains, in partnership with Cargill, one of the world's largest food companies. The work: sustainable, allergen-free alternatives to chocolate, coffee, and nut spreads, built from individual components rather than the crops the world is running short of.

Kelsey Tenney in her kitchen holding a freshly baked, sliced sourdough loaf
Best meals start with learning — and a good loaf.

The short version

I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, where my food memories start with the first slice of apple I ever tasted — and in the kitchen, where homemade mac and cheese became the first thing I ever cooked. Curiosity about why food behaves the way it does never really went away.

A high-school spark for food science took me to Purdue University to study food chemistry and engineering, where mentors shaped the way I approach research. Graduate work followed — digging into bitterness and how protein and lipids partition in oil-in-water emulsions — alongside time spent in food labs, bakeries, and internships across major food companies.

Today I lead R&D and operations at Voyage Foods, where we've raised more than $95 million and scaled the technology from the lab into global production. I also write Appeasing a Food Geek, sharing the science behind cooking — because I'm convinced the best meals start with learning.

$95M+ raised across three rounds at Voyage Foods
23 person team led — R&D, operations, quality & regulatory
6 patents on the core technology platform
2 manufacturing facilities designed, built & commissioned
40K lb/day capacity, scaled from bench to full production
50 named to Cherry Bombe's Future of Food 50

Leadership & experience

From the molecule to the global supply chain.

I build and lead the technical organization across R&D, process development, commercialization, and manufacturing — taking technology the whole distance: from the bench, through pilot and scale-up, to industrial production and the global supply chains that move it. At Voyage Foods I've led science and operations through three funding rounds and a worldwide commercialization partnership with Cargill, one of the world's largest food companies.

I stood up our manufacturing facility in Mason, Ohio — financed with a multimillion-dollar USDA-backed loan — and led the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) regulatory work behind our cocoa-free chocolate. Today the products reach from Walmart and Whole Foods to Berkeley's school lunches — and into croissants in Paris.

Now
Voyage Foods — Co-founder, VP of R&D & Operations
Previously
Endless West · Incredible Foods · Chew Innovation · Nassau Candy
Education
M.S. Food Chemistry, Penn State · B.S. Food Science, Purdue

Recognition

Awards for the work.

Listen

Hear from Kelsey.

Cherry Bombe's The Future of Food Is You — on food science, building Voyage Foods, and what it takes to scale a new ingredient from the lab to the global supply chain.

Full episode at Cherry Bombe

Moments

Kelsey Tenney with the Voyage Foods team at the Edison Awards 2026
Edison Awards 2026 — with the Voyage Foods team
Kelsey Tenney holding her Cherry Bombe feature
Cherry Bombe — 50 Women at the Forefront of Food
Kelsey Tenney presenting on stage at Bühler Networking Days 2025
Voyage's technology platform — Bühler Networking Days 2025

Let's talk food science.

Whether it's research, R&D, speaking, or a good question about emulsions — I'd love to hear from you.

kelsey@kelseytenney.com See my publications