Givaudan opens Innovation Centre

Givaudan has officially inaugurated its new flagship Innovation Centre in Kemptthal, Switzerland. The centre will accelerate the company’s global efforts in creating differentiated and sustainable flavour, taste and fragrance solutions for the food & beverage and beauty, personal and home care industries.

The company invested CHF 120 million, the largest investment in research to date for this centre which is part of a global innovation ecosystem designed to leverage the Company’s broad expertise in flavours, fragrances, active cosmetic ingredients and natural solutions, and enables close collaboration and co-creation with its customers, partners and start-ups.

The innovation centre has 12,000 square metres of workspace for 300 employees and is designed to LEED Gold standards. 

Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan, said: “Building on our 250 years pioneering heritage, our new flagship centre is the latest example of Givaudan’s strong innovation culture. As the newest addition to Givaudan’s vast network of research and creation centres, the Zurich Innovation Centre will act as a key enabler to deliver breakthrough science and technology solutions for our customers while tackling the industry’s most pressing challenges.”

The centre provides over 12,000 square metres of inspiring co-creation, collaboration and innovation space for 300 employees, and integrates hosting for start-ups, labs and kitchen space providing a holistic customer experience on-site. Science and technology teams will benefit from innovative research capabilities in chemistry, biotechnology, biocatalysis, fermentation, flavour delivery technologies, sensory and application science. Creation and application related capabilities available at the centre include unique sensory and consumer insight tools and SPRINT fast prototyping methodology, to drive speed and efficiency in new solutions and enable the Company to predict and plan for future consumer trends. 

As part of Givaudan’s sustainability approach, A Sense of Tomorrow, the building is one of the first facilities in Switzerland to receive a gold certificate from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world's most widely recognised green building certification system. It fosters healthy, enjoyable and productive work through user-oriented workplace design that reduces water and energy consumption and improves environmental and economic efficiency by up to 45%.

The official opening ceremony took place on 14 June 2019, in the presence of 130 participants including Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, along with Givaudan’s executive management members, customers and partners.