Wei Wang‑Nolan, Ph.D., is a strategic and results‑driven product development leader with more than 20 years of experience transforming scientific innovation into commercially successful food and beverage products. As the Head of Global Beverage Product Development at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., she leads global beverage product innovation spanning Zero Sugar, Sparkling, Functional Beverages, licensed brands, and emerging platforms. Her work has delivered multimillion‑dollar cost-saving initiatives, optimized beverage production and supply management, and advanced sweetener and sugar‑reduction technologies.
Dr. Wang‑Nolan’s career includes roles at prominent global organizations such as DSM Nutritional Products, Unilever’s Global Ice Cream Technology Center in U.K. and California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, where she pioneered omega‑3 nutritional delivery systems, led omega-3 DHA applications in dairy, beverage and food innovations, and optimized complex food processing systems using advanced analytical tools such as MRI and PEPT, and conducted teaching and dairy research to support U.S. dairy exports.
Known for her deep technical expertise and collaborative leadership, she excels in navigating supply‑chain challenges, driving consumer‑validated product design, and mentoring high‑performing R&D teams. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, M.S. from Kansas State University, and B.S. from Jiannan University, all in Food Engineering, and is a Certified Food Scientist by Institute of Food Technologists.
As the health beverage market becomes increasingly segmented, many “healthy” ingredients remain confined to niche or short-term consumption scenarios. Moving beyond functional recognition to become part of everyday drinking occasions has emerged as a key challenge for ingredient scalability.
Cranberries are a representative case. Long positioned as a seasonal ingredient or a symbol of women’s health, their pronounced tartness and strong functional associations have limited broader adoption in mass-market beverages. Ocean Spray’s industrial practice is gradually reshaping this perception: sustained research into cranberry’s core bioactive component—A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs)—has built a solid scientific foundation for its antioxidant and anti-adhesion mechanisms, while systematic flavor blending and process optimization have transformed sharp acidity into a layered, refreshing, and approachable flavor suited for daily consumption.
This session examines the R&D pathway through which cranberry beverages have evolved from a niche functional product into a high-frequency daily drink, highlighting how ingredient science, flavor innovation, and consumption scenarios work together to unlock long-term ingredient value.