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Customer Case Study: Darlington Snacks
How Darlington Snacks Streamlined R&D Workflows and Improved Team Collaboration with ENTR
Baked Snack Company
Interviewee: Heath Browning, Director of R&D
Darlington Snack’s Challenge:
High-Friction and Time-Consuming Workflows
For Heath Browning, the Director of R&D, and his team at Darlington Snacks, product development means managing formulations, generating Nutrition Facts Panels (NFPs), and supporting retail production across a growing set of products.
Before ENTR, they relied on a legacy system that had been in place for years - not because it was ideal, but because it was what the company had always used.
“It was something I inherited… there just weren’t many options back then.”
While the system technically worked, it introduced friction across nearly every part of their workflow.
Key Challenges Included:
Limited Collaboration: Only one user could effectively work in the system at a time, creating bottlenecks between Heath and his R&D director.
“I’d have to call and ask, ‘Are you in it?’ before I could make a change.”
No Visibility or History: Changes made to formulas weren’t tracked, making it difficult to review or validate updates later.
“There was no history… if something changed, I couldn’t go back and find it.”
Fragmented Workflow: Simple actions required navigating multiple tabs and screens, slowing down everyday tasks.
Outdated User Experience: The system felt difficult to use and required constant workarounds.
“It just wasn’t very user-friendly… it felt antiquated.”
The Breaking Point
More Friction, More Cost - Without Added Value
The decision to look for a new system wasn’t driven by one single issue, but rather the accumulation of inefficiencies.
The rising cost of the legacy software without providing new value created the tipping point, but usability and collaboration challenges made the problem impossible to ignore.
At an industry conference, Heath and his team actively searched for alternatives and unexpectedly came across ENTR.
“We didn’t even know what else was out there… we just knew we weren’t happy with what we had.”
The Solution
ENTR: A More Efficient, Collaborative System Built for Real Workflows
After discovering ENTR, Heath’s team ran a hands-on trial, intentionally testing the platform without heavy guidance to see how user-friendly it really was.
“We wanted to figure it out ourselves… like it was 11 PM and we had to get something done.”
The result was immediate.
“Once we got into it, it just made sense.”
A Truly User-Friendly Experience
ENTR stood out for its clean, intuitive design, eliminating the need for constant navigation and workarounds.
Heath describes the difference clearly:
“I’m a Mac person… everything just works. The other system felt like a ThinkPad - you can do things, but it’s harder.”
With ENTR:
- Formulas, nutrition data, and labels are all easily accessible in one place
- Changes update in real time
- No need to jump between tabs or screens
“Everything is right there… I don’t have to flip back and forth.”
The ease-of-use of the ENTR platform saved their team a significant amount of time in their day-to-day tasks.
Real-Time Collaboration Across Teams
One of the most impactful improvements was the ability for multiple team members to work simultaneously.
Heath and his R&D director can now:
- Collaborate on the same formula
- Compare variations side-by-side
- Test multiple formulations in parallel
“We can both be in it… compare two formulas, test different versions, and move faster.”
This fundamentally changed how the team works and allowed them to get to final formulations faster.
Integrated Communication and Workflow
ENTR also introduced built-in communication and visibility that didn’t exist before.
- Leave comments directly on formulas and tag team members
- Control visibility (private vs. shared work)
- Bring in additional stakeholders, like marketing, when needed
“I can keep something private, or tag someone and say, ‘this isn’t ready yet.’ That communication just wasn’t there before.”
The Results
Faster Product Development, Better Collaboration
Since adopting ENTR, Heath’s team has seen meaningful improvements across their day-to-day work.
Key Outcomes:
- Faster time to final formulations
- Faster access to formulas and NFPs
- Reduced back-and-forth between team members
- Real-time collaboration across R&D
- More efficient label generation and sharing
More Time, Less Friction
The biggest impact isn’t just speed - it’s how much easier everything feels. Tasks that once required coordination, delays, or workarounds are now immediate.
“It’s a lot less back and forth… things are just quicker to access.”
That efficiency compounds across the entire workflow.
“It’s opened up more time for me because everything is faster.”
What Happens Without ENTR
If ENTR disappeared, the team would be forced back into slower, more manual processes.
“It would take us back to older, more antiquated ways… tasks would just take longer.”
Final Takeaway
For Heath and his team, ENTR wasn’t just a replacement for their previous software - it was a step-change in how they work.
By combining usability, collaboration, and centralized data, ENTR removed friction from everyday tasks and enabled the team to move faster with greater clarity.
