R&D Radio: Brian Chau from Chau Time

In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Brian Chau, founder of Chau Time — an R&D operations consulting firm lowering the barrier to entry in the food industry. With a team of 12 spanning every U.S. time zone and experience across 20+ countries, Brian walks through the full concept-to-commercialization process and shares why setting clear parameters — with ranges — is the single most important thing an entrepreneur can do before working with a food scientist.Brian breaks down his four-phase R&D process, explains the trade-offs between cost, flavor, nutrition, and shelf life that every founder inevitably faces, and makes a bold prediction: fiber will eventually surpass protein as the dominant functional ingredient trend.He also shares two standout case studies in better-for-you chocolate: Dirty Gut (prebiotic/probiotic chocolate using fiber stacking from upcycled cocoa husks, acacia fiber, and chicory inulin) and Femme Health (a women's health chocolate using lactoferrin for improved iron absorption) — both developed during the global cacao supply crisis.Listen in as they discuss:Why you should create a parameter list with ranges before engaging any food scientistThe four phases of R&D and why three rounds of development is the magic number for an MVPFiber stacking: what it is and why it makes functional chocolate workHow to navigate the cacao supply crisis by going direct to smaller and heirloom farmersWhy fiber is poised to surpass protein over the next decadeBioactives trending in women's health, sexual wellness, and mushroom-derived nutraceuticalsHow startups vs. large companies prioritize trade-offs very differentlyEpisode Links:Brian Chau – Founder & Principal, Chau Time 🌐 Website: www.chau-time.com 🍄Webiste Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chau-time/🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chautime/Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin,Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.