Senior Director R&D and Quality
With nearly two decades of flavor formulation experience across leading flavor houses and global CPG brands, Derek Greer drives innovation at Sensapure with a deep command of sweet and savory flavor chemistry. His technical fluency spans food-grade solvent systems, thermal reaction flavors, and complex masking challenges in functional beverage development. Derek specializes in crafting clean-label, retail-ready flavor systems that bring high-intensity actives to life in powder, liquid, and ready-to-drink formats.
• PhD Food Technology from Clemson University
• M.S. Food Science from University of Florida
• B.S. Food Science from University of Florida
• Global Innovation Program Director — International Flavors and Fragrences
• Group Vice President of Inovation & Product Development — Golden State Foods
• Vice President R&D — IMBIBE
• Vice President Beverage & Flavor Creations — WILD FLAVORS
• Global Director - Technical Services & Innovations — SENSIENT FLAVORS
Throughout his career, Derek worked across a variety of food and beverage sectors—from aseptic orange juice to alcoholic spirits. He’s earned a reputation as a “possibility thinker,” helping brands push boundaries of beverage formulation. Whether navigating regulatory complexity, optimizing ingredient interactions, or solving difficult flavor challenges, Derek is known for his sharp scientific rigor and pragmatic, brand-first thinking.
Derek is a strong believer that the best innovations start by identifying a need and fulfilling it. He’s guided countless brands from early-stage ideation to launch, helping them avoid costly pitfalls and create products that are safe, stable, and memorable. His favorite part of the process? Taking an ambitious idea and making it not only viable, but delightful on the shelf.
Outside of the lab, Derek is a martial artist, an avid cyclist, and an adventurous cook. He’s lived through a coup in Thailand, been arrested (twice) in China for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and still finds time to explore new culinary frontiers. His curiosity and energy fuels everything he does at Sensapure—where science, creativity, and taste all meet in the bottle.
"I decided to get into food science because it's practical chemistry. It's the chemistry of the everyday. People do things that are chemistry related, they just don't know why they do the things they do. When you put bread into a machine, and the bread turns brown and tastes different, smells different. Why? But you cut open a potato, and it turns brown, but it does not smell or taste different. Why? I like knowing those why things. So that's why I got into food science."
Watch Derek's full interview, or read the research article!
