Getting the flavor of Rotaract with Jake Weragoda.
Next time you’re standing in the grocery store, debating between the roasted garlic crackers and the rosemary and olive oil ones, think of Jake Weragoda – and Rotaract. Weragoda is a food technologist at Australia’s largest cracker company and a member of the Rotaract Club of Sydney City. The 2013 Australian Rotaractor of the Year, he’s also chair-elect of Rotaract Australia. We caught up with him at the 2014 RI Convention in Sydney to find out how being a member of Rotaract has shaped his career.
THE ROTARIAN: What’s your best-selling product?
WERAGODA: One product of mine that’s doing well is Shapes Sensations, basil pesto and parmesan flavor.
TR: What’s the process for coming up with a new flavor?
WERAGODA: In the case of caramelized onion and cheddar, for instance, we make some caramelized onions with balsamic vinegar and red wine and put them with cheddar on bread or a cracker. So that’s the gold standard, the real food representation. Now let’s go match that taste on a cracker.
In product development, which is the area I work in, we come up with 40 to 50 prototypes for each flavor. We conduct a lot of internal tastings before we ask consumers to evaluate them and tell us which ones they prefer.
TR: How has Rotaract helped you in your career?
WERAGODA: I’ve been able to practice a lot of skills in Rotaract: project management, people management, speaking, communication, and leadership. It’s a low-pressure environment – it’s not like a workplace, where if you stuff up, you might be costing the business money. So I’ve worked on all those skills in Rotaract and then translated them into the workplace. It helped me get the job. It’s definitely helped me being on the leadership team at work.
TR: How did you first get involved in Rotaract?
WERAGODA: My dad has been a Rotarian since I was three years old. I’ve been to hundreds of meetings and events with him. I’ve helped out with his club’s big Australia Day function every year, and I’ve participated in a heap of the New Generations programs, such as RYLA [Rotary Youth Leadership Awards] and the National Youth Science Forum, a big program here in Australia sponsored by Rotary. So when I moved to Sydney for university, joining the club on campus made sense.
TR: Do you think you’ll eventually join Rotary?
WERAGODA: Absolutely, yes. I’ll be chairman of the Rotaract Australia board in 2015-16. I want to help grow Rotaract at the national level. After that, I’ll see where I am.
TR: What does Rotary need to do to help young people make the transition from Rotaract to Rotary?
WERAGODA: I think the emphasis on attendance, and the related cost and time commitment, are the key things that need to change. We have to shift the expectation that you need to go and spend money on a meal every week. If you’re contributing to the community through projects or advancing what your Rotary club does, then it doesn’t matter if you’re going to every meeting. – Diana Schoberg