Olam Cocoa Opens Cocoa Innovation Center, Launches New Cocoa Powder Brand
28 Apr 2017 --- Olam Cocoa has marked the opening of its latest Cocoa Innovation Centre (CIC) in Willowbrook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The new facility will provide important innovation capabilities to support Olam Cocoa’s North American customers.
The opening of this latest CIC, one of six globally, along with Centres in Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, Singapore and UK, will assist customers in the refinement and reformulation of existing recipes, provide proof of concept opportunities, and aid in the development of new products across such diverse application categories as beverages, cereals, chocolate confectionery, dairy, biscuits and bakery, and ice cream.
Rinus Heemskerk, Global Head of Product Development and Innovation noted that: “The facility will also host regular educational and application-specific seminars as part of a range of services designed to greatly reduce product development cycle timelines and help customers keep pace with changing consumer tastes and market trends.”
Olam Cocoa is also unveiling the new branding look of its portfolio of cocoa product brands, deZaan, Unicao, Macao, and Joanes, as well as announcing the launch of a completely new cocoa product brand for the North American and Asia Pacific markets, Huysman. As a region-specific brand born out of the heritage of deZaan, starting in Q3 2017, Huysman will offer a focused selection of value driven, best-in-class cocoa powders to these markets.
Gerard A Manley, CEO of Olam Cocoa, added: “By investing in modern facilities like Willowbrook we support our customers to satisfy consumer needs, and by being transparent on issues such as sustainability and product provenance, we are also ensuring that we help to stimulate demand which will support cocoa farmers and provide long term viability to the industry”
Olam Cocoa is an integrated cocoa business that supplies cocoa beans and cocoa products. Olam Cocoa is the leading originator of cocoa beans, a globally leading cocoa processor, and the world’s foremost, focused supplier of cocoa beans and cocoa products.
Cocoa beans are sourced from all major origins across Africa, Asia and South America, and Olam Cocoa’s portfolio of respected brands is spearheaded by the iconic deZaan, with its heritage of more than 100 years of excellence, as well as African origin brand Unicao, South American origin brand Joanes, the well-established Macao cocoa powders and Britannia specialty fats brands, and the recently launched Huysman cocoa powder brand. Olam Cocoa has processing, refining and milling presence in the main cocoa producing countries, as well as in, or adjacent to, primary consumption markets in Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.
Alongside a substantial operational infrastructure, Olam Cocoa says it recognizes the clear responsibility to operate sustainably and Grow Responsibly. “As the world’s leading supplier of sustainable cocoa, Olam Cocoa is accelerating progress towards the goal of 100% sustainably sourced cocoa by 2020,” the company writes.
