Firmenich announces grand opening of West Coast pilot plant for food & beverage customers

Firmenich has unveiled its newly completed Taste & Beyond Pilot Plant in Anaheim, California, the long-standing home of its West Coast commercial business. The modern facility hosts a full range of capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment specifically designed to enhance collaboration and accelerate speed to market by preparing customers for scaled-up production.

The Pilot Plant is an important part of Firmenich’s commitment to accelerate diet transformation by empowering brands with the end to end capabilities to create enjoyable eating and drinking experiences that are healthier and more sustainable. It was designed to turn around multiple prototypes and create small scale application samples in a short period of time for faster product innovation in all product categories, including savory, beverages and nutrition.

California has long been a center of activity within the food & beverage industry and has recently evolved into a global innovation hub and home to a vibrant community of industry start-ups. The West Coast Pilot Plant in Anaheim enables Firmenich to collaborate with these entrepreneurs to create impactful food & beverage launches by leveraging state-of-the-art processing facilities. The new facility further elevates Firmenich’s capabilities and helps to solidify its position as a trusted innovation partner for visionary food, beverage and nutrition customers.

“The food & beverage industry is quickly evolving globally, and at an even faster rate here on the US West Coast. This sheer pace makes speed to market absolutely critical,” said Sherry Xian Linert, vice president, Firmenich West Coast Ventures. “I’m excited to leverage our West Coast Innovation Center and new Pilot Plant, combined with our expertise in plant-based proteins and nutrition products, to work with customers on rapid prototyping. Together, this powerful combination enables us to help customers innovate quickly to win in a highly competitive market.”

There to provide the Pilot Plant’s ribbon cutting ceremony’s opening speech was Anaheim’s Mayor pro tem Trevor O’Neil, who remarked, “I am proud to be here to celebrate the legacy Firmenich has with Anaheim, and I am excited to see the future this company will help bring with meaningful jobs and investment into our city." Firmenich was also presented with a certificate of special recognition from the United States Congress commemorating the company’s 100+ years’ legacy and values, “(creating) fragrances, flavors, and ingredients that that delight the senses by placing values on customers, people, creativity, sustainability and legacy.”

Chris Perkins, president and senior vice president, Taste & Beyond North America said, “We have long invested in our West Coast operations. Five years ago, we established a dedicated business unit to serve this region’s unique needs through our unparalleled product development expertise, high-performing flavors & taste technology and deep understanding of Human Insights and local market landscape. We have built a solid infrastructure, propelled by an incredibly talented team who have established a strong innovation network. Following the very successful opening of our Innovation Center last year, our fully-equipped Pilot Plant is a powerful next step in our vision for the West Coast, allowing us to partner even more impactfully with customers to create the next generation of consumer food & beverage experiences that are good for people and the planet.”