Who We Are

Our business acumen has served organizations in both the public and private sectors. We know how to manage the risks and capture the opportunities that lie within a wide variety of business ventures in food, agriculture and natural health product sectors.

International Food Focus Ltd. is owned and operated by Carol T. Culhane, a Professional Home Economist with a Master of Business Administration and a Certificate in International Food Law from Michigan State University. Carol has more than twenty-five years of multidisciplinary experience in the food industry. She is highly regarded for her knowledge of food, regulations, business development strategies, business acumen, and her enthusiasm for the challenges of new ventures. Her expertise and wisdom has been shared with many individuals and organizations through her work at IFFL, courses and seminars, and, her contribution to professional, trade and community organizations.

Carol Culhane is profiled in "Where are they now?" eBulletin - Telfer School of Management - December 9, 2009

Carol Culhane is quoted in Chatelaine, Septermber 2009 in "Ask an expert"; her role with the CIFST is one of her many volunteer positions.

Entrepreneur of the year

Carol Culhane was selected, through peer review and recognition, as one of 24 global experts qualified to participate in a worldwide post-marketing surveillance of the safety of genetically-modified food, should the need ever arise. Carol is the only private-sector member of the seven Canadians deemed to have the expertise and integrity to assume such a task.  See:

• Survey of Post-Marketing Surveillance of Potential Human Late Health Effects of Genetically Modified Foods’ Initiatives: Lessons for Canada’s Strategy

Carol's professional memberships, industry participation and community involvement is wide ranging and includes:

• Past President of the Ontario Home Economics Association
• Chair of the Functional Foods Division of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology
• Member of the Editorial Board of Food in Canada
• Professional Member of Institute of Food Technology and active in:

          o Food Laws & Regulations Division

          o Nutrition Division

• Member of Women in Food Industry Management. See Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
• Member of the Telfer School of Management Alumni Leadership Group. See
  http://www.telfer.uottawa.ca/leadership/en/leader.php?p=60-carol-t-culhane
  

Ramona Rea provides business expertise to scientific and health-related organizations. Strong research and analytical skills enable Ramona to synthesize complex information from a variety of sources and present it in a clear and logical format. With 15 years experience communicating and commercializing in the life sciences sector - from food and nutrition products to a broad range of biomedical technologies – her expertise dwells in disseminating scientific information in an understandable way to diverse audiences.

While at the University of Toronto’s Innovations & Partnerships Office, Ramona was responsible for assessing and commercializing early-stage life science technologies. Prior to that, she was Senior Science Officer with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, where she communicated scientific research results to fundraisers, health professionals and the public.

Ramona has worked with International Food Focus on several projects related to the food industry, including the calculation of total vitamin D in the Canadian food supply, classification of imported processed food products under Canada’s Customs Tariff system, literature reviews, regulatory compliance, market research and market assessment for the commercialization of food and nutrition products, and surveys of consumers with regard to food practices.

Ramona holds an MSc in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto and an MBA from York University.


Linda Tanugraha is a skilled commercialization consultant, experienced in scientific research, statistics and analysis, and, new product launches in several sectors under the life sciences umbrella. Accordingly, she contributes a unique combination of a strong science background and a solid grip of the multiple facets of marketing and business development.
 
Having graduated cum laude from the School of Life Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology (the most reputable university in Indonesia), Linda pursued her Master of Applied Science in Biotechnology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, under a scholarship from the Australian Government.

Upon joining the workforce, she discovered a new (at least for her), exciting field, which was pharmaceutical marketing, and, later, the fast-moving consumer packaged good sector.  Linda acquired a strong successful track record as a product/brand manager with multinational companies in Indonesia such as Glaxo, Merck, and Kimberly-Clark, where she oversaw all marketing aspects of several products, including budgeting, analyzing market and trends, and developing marketing strategies of existing and new products.

As an internationally trained professional working in Canada, Linda has proven herself to be adaptable and effective while also contributing new perspectives to the table. A lifelong learner with a passion to deliver fresh ideas, she is eager to handle projects that allow her to stretch her own limits. In fact, “What I like best about working for the IFF is the fact that each project challenges my comfort zone – and expands it.”