Tereos, a leading global player in the sugar, alcohol and starch market, announced the opening of its new Customer Innovation Centre located in Aalst, Belgium. This cutting-edge facility is designed to foster innovation and deepen collaboration with customers, by offering an extensive range of new services, and solidifying its role as a central hub for customer support.
The facility is structured by specialised teams, each one focusing on different areas such as food, industry, paper & cardboard, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. It showcases newly established laboratories tailored to each industry, a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen and extensively upgraded analytical technologies.
Michel Flambeau, Tereos’ innovation centre director, said: “We are committed to providing solutions to our customers to develop recipes that meet higher nutritional standards by leveraging our broad product portfolio combining fibres, cereal-based sweeteners and proteins. To make this easier, we have a team of technical experts close to our customers, who are regularly in contact with them to give advice, support and propose future project developments.”
Marion Hoff, Tereos’ sales director for Europe, said: “In a marketplace where demands are constantly evolving, the ability to adapt is essential, it’s not only about meeting needs but about differentiation. At Tereos, we understand how relevant this is, and this investment underscores our commitment to innovation and product development that will allow our customers to stay ahead of the curve.”
Tereos’ Customer Innovation Centre delivers an average of 70 annual projects, serving nearly 150 customers and holding 300 active patents to date. Services offered at this site includes:
- Formulation: formulating or reformulating food products to boost fibre content and/or reduce calories and sugar content, while enhancing improved nutritional labelling. Analysis on product taste and shelf-life properties, enabling to create new and improve ingredients.
- Product development: new food & industrial solution workshops.
- Consulting and technical support: proposals and advice adapted to customer & market needs.
- Training: multiple products and applications such as confectionery, chocolates, dairy, bakery, cereal products, extracted food, paper & corrugates board, among others.
- Analytical testing: physical measurements, sugar composition, sensory perception, shelf stability.
Tereos’ dedicated team of experts, supported by a network of 50 scientists, want to ensure customers can meet the rising consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable products.
