IFF strengthens research and innovation capabilities with launch of co-creation center in Netherlands 

NETHERLANDS – International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) has announced the inauguration of a new co-creation center in Wageningen, the Netherlands, marking a significant enhancement in its research and innovation capabilities to better serve its global clientele.  

Situated in the renowned ‘Food Valley’ region, known for its concentration of food multinationals and burgeoning start-ups, the new facility aims to foster collaboration and drive insights-led innovation in the food industry. 

Laurens Reiber, Regional Creation and Design Director, Europe, IFF, highlighted the strategic significance of the new center, stating, “This space brings us closer to our key customers, driving engagement, and enabling them to co-create with us on-site and in-person.  

Furthermore, the Food Valley is a thriving innovation ecosystem, and coupled with access to academia, we can now strengthen our collaboration on projects exploring the future of food.” 

The proximity of the center to Wageningen University, a leading academic institution in food sciences, will facilitate close collaboration between IFF and academia, leveraging cutting-edge research and expertise to drive innovation in food products.  

The center’s state-of-the-art facilities include advanced laboratory equipment, a demo kitchen, an application lab, and innovation space, providing a conducive environment for product development and testing. 

Reiber emphasized the importance of the center in driving IFF’s core goal of delivering insights-led innovation to enable customers to succeed in the competitive market landscape.  

With key experts and senior product designers stationed at the center, IFF aims to provide tailored support to its customers and facilitate collaborative ideation sessions to develop innovative solutions. 

The launch of the co-creation center follows IFF’s recent divestiture of its Cosmetic Ingredients business to Clariant, a sustainable specialty chemicals company.  

IFF CEO Erik Fyrwald highlighted the strategic importance of the divestiture in enabling IFF to focus on its core businesses and drive strategic growth investments. 

Fyrwald stated, “At IFF, our strategic transformation is focused on bringing leading innovation to best serve target customers in our core businesses. The sale of IFF’s Cosmetic Ingredients Business represents another significant step that will enable us to make more attractive strategic growth investments as we reduce our debt and interest costs.” 

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