A Sense-ational Job at 21st Sensory

business } A Sense-sational Job 21st Sensory tests products for companies nationwide from its Bartlesville offices Sharon Brewster and other tasters test one of the many products brought to 21st Sensory, Inc. for taste, touch and smell before being marketed to the public. By Mike Wilt boys were here. They thought I had agreement and saved the company $1 the best job in the world — eat food million in shipping alone.” and get paid for it.” Not all products are edible. Panelists E ggy. Hoofy. Boney. Skunky. You won’t hear those words at many workplaces, unless you work for First, panelists undergo extensive training. They learn to put aside their Another stinky assign- ment tested odor But testing food isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. once tested foot creams which had them washing their feet in sinks all Donna Baughn is the senior proj- day. 21st Sensory, Inc., where using one’s individual tastes and control of soiled dia- ect manager and has been with the Testing battery-operated tooth- senses — taste, touch and smell — is focus solely on particu- pers. firm for 11 years. She remembers an brushes was a project that led Brown a job requisite. lar aspects of products. “We asked all of the day- intense 8-hour marathon sampling to — of all places — a ceramic tile The Bartlesville-based company For example, rather than cares for their dirty diapers,” chuck- of…biscuits. Panelists were exhaust- retailer. provides sensory testing on foods, bev- determining whether one pizza tastes les Dawn Brown, a project leader and ed. “We were trying to describe how erages and personal care products. better than another, panelists con- six-year employee. “They kept saying, “It sounds so ridiculous to be so our teeth felt after using the tooth- Over the last 15 years it has worked centrate on the components such as ‘Who are you people?’” tired from something so basic as brushes,” she sheepishly recalls. “So, with some 200 companies worldwide cheese, sauce, and crust. Well, they are people who will do biscuits,” she says. “But it was very Kathleen Pillsbury-Rutledge founded 21st I went up and down the aisle rubbing and boasts more than 30 trained sen- Next, the panelists discuss and deter- whatever is asked of them. tiring.” Sensory in Bartlesville more than 15 years ago. different textured tiles on my teeth.” sory descriptive panelists. mine a specific lexicon or “descrip- “We were asked to perform a skin One of Baughn’s most memorable The panelists are all part-time work- “We test everything from food to tors” to describe certain product char- moisture test,” Brown recalls. “So, we ended up testing her. experiences involved 300 samples of ers, but they consider themselves full- foot lotion,” says company found- acteristics. This allows them to use cranked the heat to 85 degrees, set the “I kept telling myself that I was butter. time family. They come from diverse er and president/CEOa Kathleen a common language and provide the humidity at 50 percent, and then exer- going to be okay,” she laughs. “I kept “That took a lot of time,” Baughn backgrounds and life experiences, but Pillsbury-Rutledge. manufacturer with a “sensory finger- cised to a workout video.” saying that I couldn’t lose it. I had to says. “It was right before Christmas. the one thing they have in common is Name a product and 21st Sensory print.” 21st Sensory frequently invites aver- finish strong.” Everyone was busy. During our breaks each other. has probably tested it. But research is “This ensures we are all talking age consumers to provide their non- Sometimes, the difficulty lies not in we would wrap presents. We also had “When we aren’t focused on prod- not all food and games. about the same thing,” says Abbott. professional opinions. Abbott once the tasting, but in the talking. Take, people teaching others how to tie bows ucts we are focused on friendships,” “We don’t sit around eating cookies She recalled one session focused on employed her son’s high school base- for instance, the great mashed pota- and even knit. But it was a win-win. says Baughn. all day,” says Terri Abbott, a project a product’s “aroma.” ball team to test a variety of sand- toes debate which pitted one sample We got the work done and didn’t get And that’s what makes working at manager who has been with company “One of the descriptors we came wiches. against another. too far behind on our holiday activi- 21st Sensory so sense-sational. B for eight years. up with was ‘latrine’,” she says with a “Most people just take a few bites,” “The discussion got a little, oh, ties.” Indeed, much work comes long laugh. “The job isn’t always pleasant, Abbott said. “But there wasn’t any- intense,” Abbott snickers. “We laugh Baughn doesn’t have a sensitive before employing the senses. but it is always fun.” thing left of the samples when those about it… now. But we came to an stomach, but testing canned meats 12 Bartlesville Magazine SUMMER 2009 Bartlesville Magazine SUMMER 2009 13

A Sense-ational Job at 21st Sensory

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A Sense-ational Job at 21st Sensory — Presentation Transcript