Unilever funnels US$94m into new global food-tech innovation hub in the Netherlands

09 Dec 2019 --- Unilever has invested €85 million (US$94 million) in a new global Foods Innovation Centre at the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) campus in the Netherlands. The facility, dubbed “Hive” for its location among the nation’s leading academic research centers, start-ups and external partners, is where the British-Dutch transnational will lead its international food innovation programs for brands such as Knorr, Hellmann’s, The Vegetarian Butcher and Calvé. Areas of research will include plant-based ingredients and meat alternatives, efficient crops, sustainable food packaging and nutritious foods.

“We need a fundamental transformation of the food system if we are to feed more than nine billion people sustainably and nutritiously. Malnutrition, obesity, climate change and food waste are issues that can only be addressed if we work in partnership to accelerate technology and innovation. Having a global research and development centre in Wageningen will enable us to do exactly this,” says Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever.

Unilever’s Hive at the Wageningen University & Research campus, the Netherlands.The Wageningen area in the Netherlands is often referred to as “Food Valley” – a nod to Silicon Valley – in recognition of the breakthroughs in agri-food tech being generated by start-ups, science institutes, non-governmental organizations and companies located in the area. Last month, German flavor house Symrise announced plans to inaugurate a new laboratory at the Unilever facilities at the WUR campus, with the aim of developing “innovative culinary foods at a much faster pace.”

“This approach, which resembles a holistic ecosystem in which specialists from Unilever and Symrise are directly connected to one another as well as with scientists from WUR, has enormous potential. It can be adopted by other customers and enable go-to-market product acceleration. It also provides the long-term benefits of adding depth to our understanding of customers and their markets,” says Heinrich Schaper, President of the Flavor Division at Symrise.

Hive interior.Symrise aims to work together with Unilever on many different levels. In addition to taste, sustainability ranks high on the agenda of both companies. This new, on-site approach to integrated product development allows for more scientific collaboration on the field of sustainability. 

WUR is recognized globally as a top institution for education and research in the areas of agriculture and nutrition. At the institution, over 5,000 scientists and 12,000 students are dedicated to studies in the agro-food and environmental domain. Employees of the Symrise-Unilever collaboration will be invited to lecture at the university.

Foodvalley on the showfloor of Fi Europe 2019. “We are thrilled about the idea of cooperation and direct knowledge exchange. Having the resources and expertise of Symrise located right at our site enables us to work even better together on the transformational journey towards a food system that is better for you and for the planet. It’s a first proof point of how we envisage working together with partners in an ecosystem. Consumers can look forward to very unique taste experiences,” says Manfred Aben, Vice President R&D and Head of the Foods Innovation Centre at Unilever.

Unilever notes that Hive is BREEAM-NL Outstanding, which is the “highest [Dutch] certification for sustainable buildings.” “Large parts of the fully circular interior are accessible to the public. Earlier this year, the building won two design awards: the Global Design Award for Commercial Projects and the Global Public Award.

By Benjamin Ferrer