Pam deVries, general manager, PROVA Inc., announced that the company has hired Julia Decruz to be the company’s new director R&D/Applications, effective immediately.

Pam deVries explains, “Julia Decruz is a very accomplished applications scientist and leader, with over 20 years of management and product development expertise in the food and beverage industry. I am confident she will work well with her new team, offering guidance and continuing their efforts to build a world-class Applications Lab.”

Ms. Decruz brings significant experience across the food and beverage industry to PROVA, and while she has a strong focus on beverage, she also has expertise in dairy products such as cottage cheese, yogurt and ice cream. She has worked on major development projects while at Nestle, Starbucks, Dr. Pepper/Snapple and Bolthouse. She holds a B.S. degree in Food Science and Technology from Oregon State University and an M.S. degree in Food Science from North Carolina State University.

In her new position, Ms. Decruz is tasked with taking the North American R&D team to the next level, and to support PROVA’s Global R&D organization.

Pam deVries continues, “Julia and her team members, Brian Wilson and Jacob Fay, will work on projects that showcase PROVA’s flavors, extracts and technologies. They will encourage customers to visit our brand-new kitchen facilities and collaborate on new product development ideas.

PROVA also welcomes Mario Marin to the team as the company’s new inside sales representative. In this role, he will assist the North American Sales Managers as needed with customer follow-up and at trade shows, as well as manage some of his own accounts for the company. Mr. Marin comes to PROVA from Joseph’s Bakery, where he was the regulatory and continuous improvement manager. His previous experience includes both R&D and Regulatory work in the food manufacturing industry and as a pastry chef/baker at various restaurants. Mr. Marin holds a B.S. degree in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University. He will report to Anne Vlahos, vice president of sales.