Switzerland-based nutrition, health and beauty company DSM-Firmenich AG has opened a new food and beverages pilot plant in the US state of New Jersey – part of the company’s Taste, Texture, and Health Business Unit.

Located in Plainsboro, the pilot plant is focused on scaling up beverage production and will support various applications such as juices, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, sparkling water, dairy, and plant-based products.

Maurizio Clementi, executive vice president for Taste, Texture & Health, said: “This new facility will help us deliver on our ambition to bring progress to life by enabling our customers to make even more innovative foods and beverages that are delicious, nutritious, and sustainable. Our fully equipped pilot plant is a powerful next step in our vision for our Taste, Texture, and Health North American headquarters, allowing us to partner even more impactfully with customers to create the next generation of consumer food and beverage experiences that are good for people and the planet. Our state-of-the-art facility will be a vibrant place where passion and expertise meet.”

The pilot plant has been designed to enable strong collaboration within the DSM-Firmenich and customer teams during benchtop development as well as to incorporate consumer feedback into the overall development process. The new pilot lab is adjacent to both the DSM-Firmenich development labs, the consumer sensory lab, and the focus group room, enabling the consumer’s voice to be brought into the process throughout development.

Headquartered in Kaiseraugst, DSM-Firmenich AG reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavours, and fragrances. It has a workforce of nearly 30,000 employees across 340 global sites in 60 countries.