The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Rubix Foods, a provider of flavour and functional ingredients for restaurants and manufacturers, has announced the opening of its new innovation centre. The 50,000-square-foot facility will aim to streamline the innovation process for the company's customers and includes a show kitchen for in-person and virtual demonstrations, an R&D lab and test kitchen, two pilot plants and a sensory panel. Andy Block, CEO at Rubix Foods, said: "Here we have all the talent, technology and tools to deliver food innovation from research to rollout, all under one roof at unparalleled speed – a fully commercialised formula ready in days rather than months". Rubix operates as a full-service partner, covering culinary, scientific, marketing and logistics challenges. "We're here for collaboration, not credit. The centre was built as much for our customers as it was for us. We tell them, 'this is (y)our innovation centre' and we encourage them to visit us to take full advantage of the tools and talent available to them here," Block added. Food and beverage private equity firm Arbor Investments announced an investment in and partnership with the company in April 2019. In October 2020, Arbor and Rubix broke ground on the new facility and the following year rebranded the company from Darifair Foods to Rubix Foods. "From the onset of our investment, we recognised that the company was an epicentre of truly innovative food technology but lacked a world-class facility to foster in-person problem solving with customers. Based on the overwhelming positive response and new projects initiated from recent customer visits, the investment in the new innovation centre is already paying dividends for Rubix and its customers," added Alan Weed, partner at Arbor investments.