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Symrise to leverage Unilever expertise

In the so-called “Food Valley” of Wageningen, Symrise says it is pioneering a new approach by installing an innovation lab at the Unilever Foods Innovation Centre on the Wageningen Campus.

The creative centre will comprise a flavour creation lab, an application kitchen and collaboration rooms that cover 120 square meters.

By having Symrise resources directly on the site of consumer goods manufacturer Unilever and by working together with scientists of the Wageningen University & Research, the company believes innovative culinary foods will be developed at a much faster pace. Symrise has now developed an integrated model with the consumer goods manufacturer Unilever. Working together with Unilever, Symrise says it can help shape product development in an especially efficient way. T

“This approach will enable the companies to optimally integrate and develop new products together in a creative and efficient manner,” said Heinrich Schaper, President Flavor Division at Symrise. “Furthermore, the site will make it possible for us to leverage the expertise of the best Agri-Agro researchers from around the world.”

Wageningen University & Research is home to over 5,000 scientists and 12,000 students who are dedicated to studies in the agro-food and environmental domain. Employees of Symrise will also lecture at the university, and students will be invited for exchanges in Holzminden.

“We are thrilled about the idea of cooperation and direct knowledge exchange. Having the resources and expertise of a global leader, such as Symrise located right at our site enables us to work even better together on the transformational journey towards a food system that is better for you and for the planet. It’s a first proof point of how we envisage working together with partners in an ecosystem. Consumers can look forward to very unique taste experiences,” said Manfred Aben, Vice President R&D and Head of the Foods Innovation Centre at Unilever.

“This approach, which resembles a holistic ecosystem in which specialists from Unilever and Symrise are directly connected to one another as well as with scientists from the Wageningen University & Research, has enormous potential,” said Schaper. “It can be adopted by other customers and enable go-to-market product acceleration. It also provides the long-term benefit of adding depth to our understanding of customers and their markets.”