Behind the Scenes - Meet Tim van Rooij

In this conversation, we meet Tim van Rooij, Product Developer in Procurement & New Product Development (NPD) at TB Brown, part of Sucafina Instant. Known for his technical expertise in coffee profiling and product development, Tim also brings a mindset shaped by personal challenges and endurance-driven pursuits outside of work. 

 1. For those who may not know you well, how would you describe your journey into coffee and product development within TBB? What drew you to this technical depth? 

I've always liked the technical side of the food & drink sector. Even before coffee, I was the kind of person who looked at the ingredient lists and wondered how things were actually made. Coffee just took my curiosity to the next level. Going from a coffee cherry on a tree to a jar of instant coffee on a shelf is a long, complex process. And that’s what hooked me. 

My journey into coffee started in 2018 during my master’s internship in food technology at a major coffee company. There, I worked on very hands-on technical projects ranging from single-serve products like coffee pads and capsules to developments in instant coffee processing. That’s where I really got comfortable with the industry's technical depth. 

In 2023, I took a sabbatical to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. That break helped me reset and think about what I wanted next. I realized I wasn’t done with coffee but I wanted to work closer to the product and closer to the people making it happen. That’s what led me to TB Brown in 2024. 

What I really value at TB Brown is how involved you are in everything. You work daily with procurement, quality, sales and production. Not just R&D. You see how decisions are made, what trade-offs matter, and how ideas turn into real products. 

 2. Your role is highly technical, not to mention detail-driven. What do you focus on most when developing or refining a coffee profile to ensure it performs consistently? 

For me, it always starts with the customer. Before anything technical, you need to be very clear on what they’re actually trying to achieve. Are they looking to match an existing coffee exactly? Do they want a signature flavour? Or is price the main driver? Once that’s clear, everything else follows. 

My role is to translate those needs into the right solution using our instant coffee portfolio. That means choosing the right base, understanding where we can adjust, and knowing what will work in real production, not just on paper. 

When we develop a tailor-made coffee with a manufacturer, my background in instant coffee processing really comes into play. It allows me to give very concrete feedback on things like green coffee selection, roast degree and aroma handling. Those details are what make the difference when it comes to consistency, especially when a product needs to perform the same way, batch after batch. 

 3. Outside of work, you’ve taken on some demanding personal and physical challenges. Can you tell us a bit about them, what drew you to them and what they’ve taught you about yourself? 

Outside of work, I enjoy (ultra) trail running, meaning races longer than a marathon and (thru) hiking, where you complete long-distance trails from start to finish in one go.  

Over the years, I’ve run almost every distance, from 5 km up to 100 miles. It started as a personal challenge after recovering from surgery ten years ago, when I set myself the goal of running a marathon within six months. After completing that, I thought: if I can do this, maybe I can go further. From there, each race became a little more extreme. 

Along the way, I ran a 110 km trail race with over 8,000 meters of elevation gain in the Swiss Alps in 2021, and in 2023 I thru-hiked the 4,270 km Pacific Crest Trail in the United States. 

These experiences taught me three main things. 

• First, people are capable of far more than they think, as long as they’re willing to put in the effort. 
• Second, ultra races and thru hikes can sound overwhelming at first. But when you break them down into very small steps, they become much more manageable and easier to put into perspective. 
• And finally, the second wind is always there. Fatigue and difficult moments are often temporary. Renewed energy can be closer than you expect. 

 4. There’s a clear link between discipline in sport or endurance and discipline at work. How does that discipline show up in the way you plan, test and make decisions?

Don't give up too quickly. Some projects can feel overwhelming at first, but when you split them into smaller steps, they become easier to handle. 

 5. What is one aspect of product development that is often misunderstood or underestimated by those outside the role? 

People often think creating new products is easy. It’s just coffee, right? And on a small, lab-scale level, that can be true. The real challenge starts when you need to scale that idea up to industrial production. 

Turning a concept into something that works consistently at scale takes a lot of effort and teamwork. It’s not just product development involved, but also procurement, production, quality, sales and other disciplines. That collaboration is what turns small ideas into real, successful products.

 6. If you could share one piece of advice with someone starting a technical role at TB Brown, what would it be? 

Never stop learning. Keep your eyes and ears open to the insights of colleagues, both inside and outside your own field. You’ll be surprised how many new ideas and possibilities come from simply listening and staying curious.