Recipe for Operational Excellence

Maria Inetti serves as plant operations manager at Emmi Dessert USA, bringing two decades of hospitality and manufacturing experience. Skilled in recruiting, HR, customer-focused service, and applicant tracking systems, she excels in building high-performing teams and optimizing operational workflows to support top-tier dessert production and employee satisfaction.

Decades of Insight Driving Operational Excellence

Inetti’s rich background in food safety and her experiences have shaped plant operations on a daily basis. Being in operations after 20 years of being in QA & Food Safety, she strongly believes that all plant managers should have the same background. This has paved the way for a seamless transition into operations, enabling her to quickly drive measurable improvements—reducing waste and boosting efficiency across key performance indicators.

Transforming Challenges into Operational Wins

One of the most significant shifts in recent years has been the growing emphasis on sustainable supply chains, with palm oil and cocoa emerging as two of the most critical focus areas for us. Last year, Inetti spearheaded two key initiatives aimed at building a more sustainable supply chain. They were to achieve Fairtrade certification for cocoa-based items at one facility and launch a collaborative project with the Procurement and R&D teams to eliminate palm oil from recipes where possible or transition to RSPO-certified alternatives where necessary. Customers are now more focused on more sustainable ingredients, and this is an area that is quickly changing. All new programs and certifications on sustainability, including sustainable supply chain and social responsibility, remind her of when the GFSI certification “revolution” started 15 years ago; at the beginning, it was a “nice to have”; however, now you cannot do business without it. This is the same way I see the changes in sustainability and it definitely is all for the good.

Motivating Cross-Functional Teams in Times of Transformation

The key to keep team members engaged and retain the talent is to understand the current employment scene and evolve with it. New generations like Gen Z and Millennials are not looking so much on the traditional way to go up the ladder, but they want to create an impact and prefer autonomy over hierarchy and flexibility over rigidity. To Inetti, the key is to invest on mentorship and support more project based rather than task based work.

Advice for the Next Generation of Operations Leaders

Inetti emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and process improvement, noting that, too often, operations managers are consumed by daily firefighting. While addressing immediate issues is essential, she believes the real value lies in conducting root cause analysis afterward— preventing recurring problems rather than simply reacting to them. She also underscores the importance of mentorship in leadership. She always tells my team that she is not here to make every decision but to lead, guide, and empower team members to make them confidently.