Firmenich Expands Taste Innovation Presence in Asia

27 Mar 2014 --- Firmenich, the world’s largest privately held company in the flavor and fragrance industry, has expanded its Taste Innovation business unit by dedicating new resources in Asia to provide clients the access to the latest technologies and expertise. In an initial step, Dr. Imad Farhat, VP of Breakthrough Cost Innovation for Flavors, who previously led Global Business Development for Taste Modulation in Princeton, has relocated to Shanghai.

While in China, he will work closely with the technical and commercial teams across Asia Pacific to further strengthen the company’s deployment of its proprietary technologies.

As a company, Firmenich is committed to pursuing long-term innovation opportunities in Asia and opened a state-of-the-art Research and Development center in Shanghai in 2012. This most recent move reflects a continued evolution in Firmenich’s approach to flavor innovation, as the Division increases its emphasis on partnering to pursue significant opportunities.

The company strongly believes in the value of accessing the wealth of knowledge in Asia. “We are excited to explore Taste Innovation opportunities in Asia where the demand for a healthier food offering is rapidly increasing” said Gary Smith, VP of Innovation at Firmenich Flavors. “From a reverse innovation point of view, there is a great deal for us to learn in the region; I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Smith told FoodIngredientsFirst: “There are opportunities in many market across multiple food and beverage categories for taste innovation and we intend to support our clients to capitalize on these. Currently we see a lot of room for expansion in China and Indonesia for cost effective and healthier solutions, and we have a lot of confidence in the talent and capability that exist in the market to build and further enhance our product offerings. At the same time, utilizing the knowledge that exists in local raw materials and technology, and building sustainable models around this existing knowledge is also an area with considerable expansion possibilities.”

Taste Modulation is a key area of focus for Firmenich, as Health & Wellness is a trend the company is banking on for future growth. The company recently reorganized its innovation group to create a platform solely dedicated to Health & Nutrition. As consumers around the world continue to demand food and beverage products with reduced sugar, salt and fat, taste modulation technologies are becoming more critical for food and beverage companies to ensure that the consumer’s eating experience is not compromised.
“We believe that within the Chinese market and in much of Asia, there is an appetite for these innovations which deliver healthier, great tasting and cost effective solutions,” said Pierre-Alain Ceralli, VP Flavors Northeast Asia. Robert Marti, VP of Flavors Southeast Asia, agrees: “the consumer in Southeast Asia - particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia - is increasingly demanding healthier products, as obesity is becoming more and more of an issue; and Firmenich is perfectly placed with our taste modulation platform to meet that demand,” he said.

“There are significant cost benefits also,” notes Dr Farhat, pointing out that “in addition to delivering upgraded food and beverages in terms of health, taste and sustainability, the use of taste modulation technologies delivers significant savings and helps shield manufacturers from the volatility of commodity prices.”

Ceralli at Firmenich concluded to FoodIngredientsFirst: “We see a key trend in local taste development and an imperative to improve consumer labeling by replacing negatively perceived ingredients with cleaner and more positively perceived ingredients.”

By Robin Wyers