Kerry opens Asia's first Centre of Excellence for Meat

Ingredients and flavours manufacturer Kerry announced last month the opening of its expanded Regional Development and Application Centre that is also designated as the first Centre of Excellence for Meat in Bangpoo, Thailand.

The opening is part of a larger series of upgrades to Kerry’s Bangpoo facility, designed to increase Kerry’s local innovation pipeline as well as its research and application capabilities.

Spanning more than 8,500 sqm and equipped with the latest technologies, Kerry will use the state-of-the-art facility to work with local customers on all stages of their product development – from ideation to application and manufacturing – for a range of categories including meat, snacks, bakery, dairy and beverages.

The dedicated meat centre includes best-in-class taste and functional technologies, allowing Kerry to co-develop signature meat profiles based on different protein types, helping customers keep pace with the technically challenging and fast-changing meat markets in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region. With in-house application, sensory and culinary meat experts, the centre is well positioned to develop commercially-viable and innovative products at an unrivalled speed to market, according to the company.

Another upgrade to Kerry’s Regional Development and Application Centre is new facilities for food and beverage brands to develop authentic, savoury tastes and flavours. The fully-equipped application lab includes the latest Clean Smoke technology, for F&B brands to experiment with using smoke condensate to add a signature taste and smoke profile to meat, vegetables, dessert and beverages.

The additional down packing and blending lines not only double the centre’s production capacity but also provide food service customers with greater flexibility and efficiency in how their food products are packed, the company said.

John Savage, president and CEO, Kerry APMEA, said: “Consumer food and beverage tastes are changing rapidly due to the region’s growing urban middle class and this is creating huge opportunities for the F&B sector. We’re excited to combine our 15 years of heritage in Thailand with the very latest technologies and innovation to help our customers stay ahead of the curve and grow their market share now and into the future.”

Home to application labs, interactive customer suites and industry-leading research and sensory facilities, the centre also includes customer engagement kitchens and beverage bars where Kerry’s in-house chefs, mixologists and baristas will develop new menu concepts alongside customers. Experienced food scientists and technologists will also work alongside teams of sensory scientists to develop innovative products.

Speaking to Retail Asia, Paul Potter, strategic customer and project consultant, Kerry Thailand, said: “At the expanded Regional Development and Application Centre in Bangpoo, Kerry, a taste and nutrition company, has extensive expertise as well as research and manufacturing capabilities to help a broad range of food and beverage customers deliver products at speed to market. We see significant opportunities for Kerry to develop differentiated products and solutions for the retail and foodservice channels including convenience stores, coffee chains, quick service and fast food restaurants. With Kerry’s global network of chefs, mixologists and baristas, we also have the capabilities to deliver authentic and unique tastes from different regions.”