Kellogg Food & Agribusiness Club (kFAB) | Danone - Sandra Carruitero

Please introduce yourself - why did you decide to pursue an internship in the food & ag business?

I'm a second year 2Y born in Lima, Peru and raised in Miami, FL. Prior to Kellogg, I was in consulting. Growing up in a hispanic household influenced our relationship with food. Food, especially home cooked meals with recipes passed down generationally, signifies community, love, and care for each other. Coming to Kellogg, I wanted to explore how I can further this relationship by combining my desire to make an impact at a larger scale and my upbringing. Interning at Danone was a great way to bridge the two as it is a mission-forward company and approaches food as a way to make the planet a healthier, better place.

How did you approach the internship recruiting process? Did you know that you wanted to intern within food & ag?

I knew that I wanted to explore brand management and was torn between product versus food. Both provided a way in which a company can connect with a consumer every day. Ultimately, I chose food largely because I was influenced by Danone's company culture and mission/vision.

Please briefly describe your summer internship.

At Danone, brand interns are given 2 projects upfront for the summer: one highlights your analytical skills and the other highlights your more creative/scrappy side. I worked on the marketing plan and growth strategy for an innovation that launched this February at Whole Foods and Sprouts.

To what degree did your internship provide you with a good understanding of the industry and function?

Prior to last summer, I have been a consumer of certain dairy-free products but after this summer I left with such an understanding of the future of plant-based foods. It was a lot of fun learning about this too.

To what degree did your internship provide you the opportunity to develop new skills, knowledge, or a relevant network within the company?

I built my first marketing 360 plan and learned to work with cross functional teams when it came to the growth strategy. I think overall I truly learned how important it is to build relationship with your counterparts, especially when the product, industry, and function is new to you.

Did your internship experience influence or change your post-Kellogg career goals?

It did! It further pushed me to think of how I can be more intentional and create long-standing impact post-Kellogg. It gave me the courage to look within the start-up space where I can have more ownership of the work that I do.

What advice would you give current students seeking positions in the food & ag industry?

It's such a broad space and within it there is innovation happening everywhere. Find where you best fit in the maturity of the industry and how you can create change.