Iswandi’s Journey

A Journey Fueled by Curiosity

Iswandi’s academic foundation starts in his home country, Indonesia, where he graduated from high school. He went on to pursue a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Food Science, both from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

His love for research began early and he sought out any R&D opportunities he could find from the time he was an undergraduate, conducting many independent studies and research projects with various professors. From investigating the mechanical behavior of different polymers to exploring lipid chemistry, Iswandi’s curiosity as a student spanned from non-food to food-related topics.

That curiosity led him to Hilmar in 2009 when he first joined the research & development team as a research engineer. Iswandi has spent his career advancing dairy science and technology, progressively taking on roles of greater responsibility within R&D as he expanded his contributions to the team.

What It Takes To Innovate

Developing new functional ingredients isn’t easy—it’s a process of trial, error and iteration “It takes a lot of work, but it’s fun! As a dear colleague of mine used to say, that’s why it’s called re-search,” Iswandi says. Success requires:

• Deep knowledge of dairy systems and protein chemistry
• Understanding plant capabilities and unit operations
• Aligning innovation with customer needs and applications

Role & Impact

As research engineering manager, Iswandi:

• Designs and supervises experiments at bench, pilot and commercial scale
• Develops new or improved processes for milk-derived food ingredients
• Identifies technical knowledge gaps and builds solutions to elevate performance
• Collaborates across teams to ensure successful product development

“Success only happens when we collaborate with others,” he emphasizes.

Partnering for Progress

Iswandi partners with the product research teams and customers to ensure Hilmar’s product portfolio delivers the functionality needed to meet the growing needs of our customers.

In addition to customers, Iswandi and his team work closely with universities and research centers, funding graduate projects that advance dairy science and build future talent. These partnerships provide fundamental insights that benefit Hilmar, the industry and customers alike.

Industry Trends That Inspire

Iswandi is excited about the growing focus on clean labels and nutrition.

“We work with milk ingredients that are fundamentally nutritious. There’s so much potential to unlock new ingredients and share accurate nutrition information with the public.”

Iswandi Jarto’s dedication to research and collaboration reflects Hilmar’s commitment to innovation and customer success. His work ensures Hilmar continues to lead the way in developing dairy ingredients that meet the demands of today’s health-conscious consumers.