Gamay Foods Opens New Innovation Center
23 Jul 2015 --- Gamay Foods, a leading supplier of dairy flavor systems, custom seasonings and sauces, has opened a new, best-in-class Innovation Center in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Designed to deliver a superior level of creative flavor and taste solutions, the $1.5 MM investment demonstrates the Company’s ongoing commitment to the food manufacturing and foodservice industries.
According to Dr. Aly Gamay, CEO of Gamay Foods Inc., the new Gamay Innovation Center has been in the works for over a year now. “Our strong growth and expansion into new industries and the increased demand for our products has made this possible. A true state-of-the-art facility that enables us to develop, manufacture and deliver customized sauce, seasoning and flavor solutions faster and better than ever.”
Housing new labs and offices, the 10,000 square foot site enables Gamay to offer its full range of technical services, including dairy flavor creation and application, dry sauce and seasoning development and custom sauce applications in one location. It is almost double the size of the company’s previous R&D Tech Center in Alexandria, Virginia, and will currently employ 14 food scientists/application specialists, 2 research chefs, the Director of R&D, and the Technical Director-Dairy Flavors. The building will also allow for continued growth as dictated by continued increase in sales.
Of the Center, Gamay’s President and Chief Operating Officer Terry Schneider said, “Today’s consumer markets and changing food and beverage consumption trends call for renewed vigor in product innovation and development of cost effective product solutions and menu offerings. Our new Wisconsin-based Innovation Center will be a key differentiator in meeting the product development needs of our customers today and those of tomorrow.”
Gamay’s new Innovation Center will serve all market sectors including foodservice, retail and private label. The heart of the Center is the Customer Demonstration Kitchen. It includes improved customer collaboration capabilities such as an expanded development kitchen and presentation room to improve the customer experience, as well as customer application pilot production facilities.
Commenting on the opening of the new Innovation Center, Jon Carlat, Director of R&D for Gamay said “The new facility will allow our experts to work much more closely with customers designing to their needs to create winning taste and flavor solutions. Its location is ideal to a number of our customers making it much easier for them to access our services, while creating a central customer-focused location for growth across the US and internationally.”
To further support flavor creation and innovation, Gamay has brought on Farshid Eftekhari as Technical Director – Dairy Flavors. Mr. Eftekhari has over 30 years’ experience in the Dairy Flavor business in various roles, ranging from R&D to Business Development. Commenting on his new role with Gamay, “This is a very exciting time to be joining the team as the improved facilities and expanded capabilities will provide us with many opportunities to build closer partnerships with our customers, facilitate innovation and accelerate the growth of our business."
