LATIN AMERICA – American producer of flavors and fragrances, IFF, has invested US$15.8 million in constructing three new innovation centers in Latin America (LATAM) in an effort to bolster its presence in the region.
The innovation centers will be located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Bogota, Colombia, and Santiago, Chile and their completion will bring the total number of IFF innovation centers in Latin America to 12.
The investment is aimed to strengthen the capabilities of the other innovation centers and ultimately position them strategically to serve each local market.
They will also enable the divisions, which are comprised of nourish, health & biosciences, and scent, to deliver the exact solutions they are pursuing in a much shorter time.
They will also serve food and beverage, animal nutrition and health, home and personal care, nutritional supplements, and bioenergy industries.
Zacarias Karacristo, Regional President of the Nourish division, IFF, Latin America said: “This substantial investment is consistent with IFF’s strategy to support the growth potential of Latin America.”
“These regional innovation centers allow us to co-create so that we can help them transform ideas into essential solutions that address the latest consumer needs and market trends with agility and purpose.”
The Brazil Innovation Center, located in Barueri, Sao Paulo, has an approximately 2000 m2 ultra-modern facility consolidating the R&D capabilities of IFF’s Nourish and Health & Biosciences divisions.
The US$6.3 million facility is LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified and one of only a few buildings in the country with this certification.
It also houses laboratories and pilot plants designed to replicate large-scale industrial production processes, to serve all key categories, including bakery, confectionery, beverages, culinary and snacks, meat, fats and oils, dairy, and ice cream.
The Columbia Innovation Center is a US$7.8 million facility that is conveniently located in Bogotá.
It spans almost 6000 m2 and features research, application, and sensory labs, as well as a pilot plant to support product development co-creation in food and beverage, home and personal care, and health and wellness segments.
This innovation center is set to serve customers in Colombia, South Central America, and the greater Andean and Caribbean regions.
Chile Innovation Center is a US$1.7 million facility conveniently located in Ciudad Empresarial, a financial and innovation hub in the city of Santiago de Chile.
In addition to consolidating overall administrative and creative services in the region, four newly added application laboratories will offer IFF’s extensive portfolio of functional ingredients, flavors, colors, and aromas.
The innovation center will support product development in the bakery, bars, confectionery, beverages, dairy, culinary, and snacks categories.
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