The new facility is equipped with an advanced culinary centre and test laboratories focused on developing and tailoring PepsiCo food and beverage brands for distinct, locally relevant taste preferences throughout the region.
The new facility will allow researchers to quickly test new product ideas and support efforts to significantly accelerate the pace of PepsiCo’s innovation across the region.
The facility is the first PepsiCo food and beverage innovation centre in the region, designed to continue PepsiCo’s efforts to unlock new opportunities for breakthrough innovation across the company’s diverse portfolio of complementary brands and enable greater speed and efficiency throughout the entire R&D and innovation process.
The new Dubai facility will also work collaboratively with other PepsiCo R&D locations around the world to share insights and best practices.
“Innovation has always fuelled PepsiCo’s growth engine and enabled us to build a portfolio of great-tasting, convenient food and beverage brands that are loved by consumers around the globe,” said Omar Farid, PepsiCo president for Middle East and Africa. “The Dubai facility is a game-changer for our business that we anticipate will fast-forward our innovation process throughout the entire region.”
“PepsiCo continues to build global research and development capabilities that are differentiating our brands in the marketplace and driving attractive new growth opportunities,” said Jan Weststrate, senior vice president R&D PepsiCo Asia, Middle East & Africa. “This new innovation centre will also allow our experts in the region to continue driving science, technology and innovation thought leadership.”
“This centre will play an important role in our global R&D network by bringing cutting edge technology and innovation to our businesses in the Middle East and partnering with other PepsiCo locations to achieve new breakthroughs in other parts of the world,” said Amr El Hadidi, PepsiCo Middle East & Africa, head of R&D.
The grand opening was attended by Marwan Abdulaziz, executive director of the Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park (DuBiotech), who demonstrated his support and appreciation to the opening of PepsiCo’s R&D facility in Dubai.
DuBiotech is the major Life Sciences cluster in the Middle East. It is a Free Zone Business Park that provides a platform for Life Sciences companies to set up their operations and access the fast-growing, emerging markets of the region.
Marwan Abdulaziz said: “PepsiCo is one of the world’s most successful food and beverage companies in the world, and we’re proud that they are opening their facility in the Nucleotide Lab Complex of DuBiotech.
“Multinational companies are playing an important role in Dubai’s continued development, and we look forward to having PepsiCo as part of the fabric of the Middle East for many years to come.”
PepsiCo has a strong portfolio of global food and beverage brands that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1bn each in annual retail sales. A key focus of the PepsiCo Middle East Innovation centre will be tailoring these brands for regional consumer taste preferences and developing locally relevant product innovations.
In recent years, PepsiCo has developed and launched in Middle Eastern markets innovations, including:
The Middle East is a key component of PepsiCo’s overall plan to drive growth in emerging and developing markets globally. PepsiCo nearly tripled its business in emerging and developing markets from $8bn in annual net revenue in 2006 to $23bn in 2013.
The opening of the new R&D centre in Dubai is the latest in a series of steps that PepsiCo continues to take to strengthen its business across the Middle East.
Source: DuBiotech/PepsiCo
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