18 Jun 2010 --- Oils and fats supplier IOI-Loders Croklaan has opened its first Creative Studio, based at the company’s headquarters in Wormerveer, The Netherlands. The studio was officially opened by Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor, Executive Director of the IOI Group yesterday. The concept will be taken to the company’s Malaysia facility at the end of this year and a US Creative Studio is also set to follow.

“The Creative Studio is our way to dream up new concepts in confectionery both by us and in cooperation with our customers”, Jan-Paul Back told FoodIngredientsFirst. “We want to invite customers here to create new products meeting the latest trends and requirements. This could be through workshops with master chocolatiers who use their creativity combined with that of our people and our customers to come up with new products, first on an artisanal level and then translate them into products that are suitable for large-scale production”, he explained. Creativity comes from sources like Netherlands-based chocolatier Arthur Tuytel (pictured).

The Creative Studio is divided into different areas. The conference room functions as a center for inspiration, where clients can brainstorm together and exchange views and ideas, while the laboratory and tasting area enables them to put their ideas into practice and sample the results. Together, these areas give clients the chance to test out different ideas and create products that precisely meet the needs of consumers. The Creative Studio is particularly suitable for working with chocolate confectionery, but it is available to all customers who have a specific oil- or fat-related project in mind. We warmly invite all specialists to come and work together with our own technical experts in the Creative Studio to plan out product compositions, processing practices and applications.

“Our aim at IOI-Loders Croklaan has always been to go above and beyond simply functioning as a supplier of products,” Marc den Hartog, Sales and Marketing Director for IOI-Loders Croklaan. “We want to work with our customers as a long-term partner, innovating alongside them and ensuring that – whatever their needs – we’re able to provide a real, value-added service. And workshops in the Creative Studio are designed to do just that. In our workshops, clients have the chance to work under the guidance of world-class chocolatiers as they test out the latest coatings and flavors, create innovative, artisan-made designs and pioneer the latest trends in confectionery. So whether the aim of the workshop is to produce a chocolate with a balanced nutritional profile for the health-conscious customer, or whip up the ultimate decadent treat for more indulgent moments, we can provide the support and expertise to help our clients create high-quality chocolates that are perfect for their intended target groups. And once an artisan-made chocolate has become a reality, our experts will take our customers one step further, and help them to translate their product into something more suitable for the mass market.”