Cargill opens Culinary Experience Hub at R&D facility in Belgium

Cargill has inaugurated a Culinary Experience Hub at its research and development site in Vilvoorde, Belgium, to help its customers create new ingredients and recipes.

The facility features a bakery pilot plant, a frying centre and a culinary tasting area with capabilities for dairy, beverage, bakery, convenience foods and culinary applications.

Vilvoorde is one of Cargill’s first culinary experience centres. The company has called on its customers from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to use the facility to solve their formulation challenges.

“Cargill’s Vilvoorde Culinary Experience Hub houses a team of culinary experts and chefs that collaborate with customers to develop on-the-spot innovative solutions that specifically address the challenges and demands of consumers,” said André van der Wulp, Cargill R&D leader in EMEA.

“Our quality products combined with a dash of culinary creativity help us and our customers come up with new, on-trend food solutions that don’t compromise on taste, quality and affordability.”

He added: “Imagine you’re a Cargill customer trying to identify the best ingredients for consumers. You could hear about an ingredient’s specifications and functionality, and perhaps sample a prototype. Or you could come to Cargill in Vilvoorde to co-create and taste a freshly prepared plate of food products like the consumer would at home or in a restaurant.”

In June, Cargill opened its first innovation centre in Singapore in a move to help its customers anticipate shifting consumer values around tastes, nutrition and food safety.

The company already has two innovation centres in the region – in Beijing and Shanghai – and chose Singapore for its third thanks to its strategic location and the government’s “strong focus” on building the country as a global innovation hub.