An international opportunity? Let’s go for it!

We had a great conversation with Alessia Cairus from France, now working in The Netherlands for Nestlé. One year ago , Alessia left France to work in the innovative Dutch food industry.  

ALESSIA CAIRUS, PROJECT ENGINEER AT NESTLÉ 

After finishing her studies in Grenoble, Alessia posted a message on LinkedIn to officially start her international job-hunt. Green Resource Group picked up her message and within one-month Alessia could start working for Nestlé in Nunspeet as a Project Engineer. ‘It is a fantastic way to start my international career, and I knew I had to say ‘yes’ to this adventure and since I have started, I have had so many opportunities! Traveling to Mexico visiting a factory, traveling to France visiting a supplier, next month I am off to Frankfurt for training. I am super thankful! This is all I was looking for when thinking about my first job after finishing my studies.’    

Nestlé is an international Food company. There is a large group of engineers that are working on various kinds of projects all around the world. ‘It is normal within Nestlé to travel; everyone is going everywhere all the time. In the office, numerous colleagues are from abroad.  As a project engineer, we are always looking for improvements and finding other smart ways to work on our production lines. Is a component reaching the end of its lifetime? We must replace it. Is there a leakage? We must fix it.’

What is your current project about? 
Alessia is working on a project to renew, develop and improve part of the production line within the factory. ‘I work on a specific project now. It is about replacing one part of the overall production line.  For us, this project is a big challenge because we must replace a section that is part of the main ingredients of the infant formula. The line is at the end of its lifetime. Therefore, we must replace it while production continues, having minimal downtime. This part of the production line is separating all minerals from the whey*. So, we can, at a later stage, add the right amount of minerals in the cleaned whey and mix it to the infant formula. In similar factories competitors are not standardizing the whey themselves. They receive it already in the right form and can add it to the formula. In our factory, we standardize it ourselves, which is a more complex step, but we can ensure constant quality. The mineral content inside the whey is not always the same, depending on the season, depending on the cow, depending on the supplier. But an infant formula must always contain the same amount of minerals: too much or too few minerals can be dangerous for babies.’  

*Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese.  

Where do you see yourself in five years?
‘After this project, perhaps I would like to move to another country, still working for Nestlé but in another department. I do not feel like staying in one place at this stage of my life. Nestlé is the perfect employer because they have so many opportunities all around the world.’   

‘My job is intense, and I love it. I feel so grateful for this opportunity. Sometimes I take time to think about my current situation and I tell myself; Alessia, you are working for Nestlé as your first job. I think that the stars were aligned to make it happen, I have no doubt that this is where I belong for now. I am there, surrounded by all different nationalities and I am really enjoying my life.’   

Thank you Alessia, for your positive energy and sharing your experiences with us! Keep up the good spirit. We cannot wait to see all your international destinations on your LinkedIn profile in the future. Good luck and enjoy the ride!  

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