Ohly, a global supplier of yeast-based ingredients and culinary powders, announced the opening of its new Customer Innovation Center, located outside Chicago, in one of the most active regions for the US food industry. The cutting-edge facility is designed to accelerate close collaboration with customers and partners through on-site concepting and solution development across the food and nutrition space.

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Fully equipped with a modern sampling lab and state-of-the-art test kitchen, the new center stocks Ohly’s entire range of yeast ingredients and specialty powders to facilitate rapid testing and development. Ohly’s Customer Innovation Center boasts an array of commercial equipment to mimic industry processes, including combi convection cooking, frying, meat processing, snack coating, and blast chilling. It provides a space where customers can work with Ohly’s application team on refining tailored recipe solutions and developing new ideas in line with the latest food trends. In addition, there is an analytical lab for testing the key parameters of ingredients and formulations, along with a suite of meeting and ideation spaces that allow for collaboration, training, and trend presentations.

Aaron Rasmussen, head of global applications, who led the build project, explained, “We are committed to working closely with our partners and customers. The new Customer Innovation Center is a purpose-built space that delivers an exceptional customer experience. We have assembled everything we need to quickly find the right product so that our partners and customers can bring new and exciting products to the market more efficiently”

Following a recent ribbon-cutting event for employees, the application team is now finalising preparations to welcome customers and distributors early in the New Year. Nancy Zacca, taste & texture platform director, added, “We are grateful to Aaron and his dedicated Application Team for making this possible. We look forward to welcoming our valued partners and customers to demonstrate the quality, versatility and impact of our taste improvement and flavour delivery ingredients. We are excited to see the innovative solutions that will emerge from this space.”