ADM Cocoa Opens New German Technical Center

Following the opening of similar facilities in Liverpool and Singapore, the Mannheim Advantage Centre provides a wealth of information and resources for industrial cocoa and chocolate manufacturers in Germany.

4/18/2011 --- ADM Cocoa has opened a new technical centre in Mannheim, Germany, to provide customers with a local resource for innovation, product development and technical support. The ADM Advantage Centre in Mannheim will help customers optimise their formulations, reduce product costs and streamline their product development processes. Following the opening of similar facilities in Liverpool and Singapore, the Mannheim Advantage Centre provides a wealth of information and resources for industrial cocoa and chocolate manufacturers in Germany.

At the forefront of chocolate and cocoa innovation, ADM Cocoa shares its expertise with customers by demonstrating various manufacturing techniques and application ideas. Here, customers will be offered hands-on application courses, which will enable participants to experiment with flavour development, mouthfeel and shelf life. Through informative cocoa and chocolate seminars, ADM Cocoa’s customers will be able to explore new product opportunities in bakery, confectionery and beverage applications.
 
In the Advantage Centre’s on-site pilot plant and laboratory facilities, ADM Cocoa’s technical experts will help customers evaluate each stage of the product development process, from the initial concept to small-batch production. Additionally, experts from the Oils & Fats Research & Development Centre at ADM’s Noblee & Thörl Werks in Hamburg can work with customers at the Cocoa Advantage Centre to create solutions to specific challenges that require a review of complete formulations. ADM has long been committed to providing customers with support from across our product lines to develop innovative and profitable products.
 
Recent collaboration between ADM Cocoa and ADM Oils & Fats have resulted in innovative products such as lower saturated fat ice cream coatings, which combine fat-reduced deZaan cocoa powder and speciality fats to provide a high-quality reduced saturated fat solution for ice cream manufacturers. Additionally, Chocovit Extra custom-formulated blends of deZaan cocoa butters and Chocovit Plus cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) add value to an array of chocolate formulations and help manufacturers deliver high-quality products more economically.
 
Dr. Norbert Wachter, research and development manager, ADM Cocoa Germany, comments, “We are committed to excellent customer service at ADM Cocoa, and the Advantage Centre is a good example of how we work to achieve this. The Centre allows customers to refine their cocoa and chocolate containing innovations to meet changing consumer demands. We are confident that the location of this Advantage Centre and the cultural understanding of our technical experts will be hugely beneficial to our German customers.”