R&D Radio: Brian Chau from Chau Time
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 1 April 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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 scientist
- The four phases of R&D and why three rounds of development is the magic number for an MVP
- Fiber stacking: what it is and why it makes functional chocolate work
- How to navigate the cacao supply crisis by going direct to smaller and heirloom farmers
- Why fiber is poised to surpass protein over the next decade
- Bioactives trending in women's health, sexual wellness, and mushroom-derived nutraceuticals
- How startups vs. large companies prioritize trade-offs very differently
Episode 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/
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin,
Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You know, when it comes to new tropics for supplements, foods, and beverages, not all ingredients are created equal. |
| 0:08.9 | Cognazin cytokoline is patented with more than 30 years of clinical research. |
| 0:13.9 | It supports the brain's natural systems, DNA synthesis and repair, phospholipid metabolism, and ATP production. |
| 0:20.6 | That translates into real-world cognitive benefits. |
| 0:23.8 | The only branded cytokoline studied in healthy adults and adolescents, |
| 0:27.7 | cognizant supports focus and attention, improves accuracy, reduces errors, |
| 0:32.8 | and supports reaction time and motor speed. |
| 0:35.1 | It even supports working memory and mental energy. |
| 0:38.3 | No stimulants, no jitters, no crash, just benefits people actually need. |
| 0:42.7 | So if you're developing products in the cognitive health space or just want to learn more about the science behind cognizin, head to cognizant.com. |
| 0:50.2 | That's C-O-G-N-I-N-I-N- dot com for more information. |
| 1:09.8 | You're not going to have a perfect product. |
| 1:11.8 | You may have a minimal viable product and you're going to try to launch in that capacity |
| 1:15.4 | or you pivot. |
| 1:16.8 | And what we want to do here is make the decision making process easier for you across |
| 1:21.4 | your supply chain, across your stakeholders in manufacturing, across the technical |
| 1:26.5 | aspect of things, as well as the commercial |
| 1:28.6 | feasibility engineering aspect of things. |
| 1:31.8 | Hey everyone, this is Adam Yee, food scientists and podcast hosts of startup CBG's new podcast section, |
| 1:37.7 | R&D Radio, where we interview product developers and what they do and how they can build |
| 1:42.2 | your CPG business. Today's guest is my friend |
| 1:45.5 | Brian Chow, who leads Chow Time, an R&D operations consulting firm lowering the barrier to entry and |
... |
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