SLIPPERY ROCK — When Joe Flock was laid off from Heinz during a downsizing in 2013 after 25 years as a food scientist and research and development principal, he and his wife, Tricia, decided to start their own food product development consulting business, Flock Food Solutions.

The Flocks moved from their home in Pittsburgh to a farm near the borough in August that year and within a month had their new company up and running.

Strategic partners in the business, Joe consults with clients and Tricia uses her previous office management experience to manage and market Flock Food Solutions.

The large food companies they work with have become concerned with food quality and safety. Flock Food helps these companies work toward that end with existing food products.

The Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in 2011 making food quality and safety a top priority for food companies.

“The FSMA is a very good thing but it's also very expensive. To do a quality audit now it will cost about $30,000 to $40,000 a year and that's just the cost of the auditing agency that comes in. All the work you have to do before that person steps foot on the site could cost you double,” Joe said.

Flock Food has worked with corporate clients, such as Mondelez International, headquartered in East Hanover, N.J.; Earthbound Farm Organic headquartered in Carmel Valley, Calif.; Birds Eye, headquartered in Parsippany, N.J.; and Golden State Foods, headquartered in Irvine, Calif.

Flock Food is also helping food companies of all kinds work toward the consumer-driven movement for “clean label” products or food products containing natural, familiar, simple ingredients with no artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals.

On their farm, Joe experiments with organic gardening so that he is versed on how to develop foods that meet the clean label guidelines for true farm-to-fork natural ingredients.

But Flock Food sets itself apart from larger food development consultants by working with food development entrepreneurs.

While the couple admitted that working with entrepreneurs can be challenging, they relish the idea of helping potential companies develop ideas for a new food product.

“We're unique in the research and development realm in that we take on entrepreneurs. Many large R & D outfits won't take on entrepreneurs,” Joe said.

“They're small and risky because they usually don't have a lot of funds to start,” Tricia said. “Because they don't have a lot of experience in the industry, they have an idea of what they want to do but don't really have a business plan. So we have to take baby steps with them.”

Although the layoffs at Heinz were tough for many who lost their jobs, the couple said the experienced food experts who worked there make for a talented pool of people who now act as consultants for Flock Foods.

The contributing consultants, who have experience in everything from food processing to regulation to packaging and marketing, make for a valuable team of advisers.

“Heinz had a department for every little thing. When you're taking a project from its infancy stages to commercialization you do need a department for every little thing because every little thing can become a very big thing and can waylay you if you're not prepared it,” Tricia said.

While working with one of their first clients, Marisa Teiner, nutritionist and founder and CEO of “Feel Better Pops,” on the development of an all-natural probiotic Popsicle for children, Flock Food helped to develop and commercialize the product.

“She had called us because she had developed a product for her young son who was very sick. The only thing he wanted when he was sick was a Popsicle or a frozen fruit bar. So rather than giving him frozen sugar water, she thought she could make him a healthier Popsicle that would also make him feel better,” Tricia said. “She realized she should make this for everybody.”

Together with Feel Better Pops, director of operations and partner Tracy Nelson, the new product was developed in a commercial kitchen in West Chester, Chester County, in three flavors.

The Popsicle, which contains a patented probiotic through a partnership with Ganeden, a probiotic ingredient manufacturer headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, was put on the market in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia in July.

The company is now looking for an investor to further market it.

Despite the break with Heinz, Joe said Flock Food still values founder Henry Heinz's beliefs in innovation, especially with today's consumer demanding fresh, nutritious products.

“It was a good experience being with Heinz even though it ended not as we expected. I've kept those values going within this company.” Joe said, “'To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success.'”