Firmenich opens food innovation hub

THE largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company in the world, Firmenich, has just opened a new Culinary and SmartProteins Innovation Center in western Singapore - Tuas. The Swiss company, which says that it has been an innovator in the science of the senses since 1895, employs 10,000 people globally. It creates fragrances, flavours and ingredients to delight the senses.

Firmenich's newly opened Culinary and SmartProteins Innovation Center here will serve as a regional R&D hub for Asia and a global centre of expertise in alternative proteins for meat and dairy, which is a rapidly growing global market.

"We chose Singapore due to its leading role in creating and developing sustainable and innovative solutions to meet the nutritional needs of the region. Also, food is local and it is therefore important that we are close to the markets and consumers to best address their specific demands, says Jun Saplad, senior vice-president Asia - Taste & Beyond at Firmenich Asia.

TAILORED SOLUTIONS

"By combining our deep regional and local understanding of consumer preferences and our expertise in taste, texture, and plant-based proteins, we are able to develop the most tailored solutions for meat-free dishes to suit the Asian market and inspire our global innovation platforms," he adds.

At Firmenich, each of the regions that the company has presence in has kitchens and laboratories where it creates and develops integrated solutions for its customers.

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"The meat and protein analog trend started very strongly in the US and particularly in the West and East Coasts, and there we have had creation and innovation hubs for years, enabling us to partner even more closely with customers. The most dynamic innovation area we see today is Asia, and we have creation and innovation centres in Shanghai and now in Singapore for those same reasons," says Mr Saplad, who is based in Singapore.

"The innovation centre is indeed key to Firmenich's vision and our ambition to enable diet transformation in Asia and beyond. Leading the industry in alternative meat and protein solutions is a key focus for Firmenich. The centre will allow us to partner closely with our customers to serve a fast-growing number of flexitarian consumers with delicious food options."

Firmenich Asia's regional headquarters is in Singapore, and the Culinary and SmartProteins Innovation Center is an add-on to its existing setup here. In the new centre, the company says that it has the best talent in the industry across several disciplines, including technical experts in aroma, flavour, taste and texture solutions that will create and develop consumer-focused integrated solutions for meat proteins and plant-based alternatives.

"At Firmenich... we believe in a circular economy and therefore, we intentionally repurposed the labs vacated by our perfumery division when they moved from Tuas to the Ascent building in Science Park. Much of the investment is in the talent, equipment and technologies we put in place," says Mr Saplad.

Firmenich started out in Singapore nearly 50 years ago by having its Asia regional headquarters in Tuas. The company later expanded its presence here by opening a Global Perfumery Creative Centre at the Ascent building in Science Park in 2018. While the perfumery division moved to Ascent, the rest of the company stayed at Tuas, including the perfumery manufacturing. The Taste & Beyond division has gradually been expanding since then at the Tuas site.

Plant-based protein alternatives to meat have been gradually growing in importance to society. And the market for such products in the Asia-Pacific region, and in fact globally, is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.

"As you know, animal agriculture requires vast amounts of land and water use. In addition, it is a top carbon emissions contributor, generating 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions which is more than the footprint of all transportation combined," says Mr Saplad.

"Supporting the consumer choices for plant-based diets and reducing reliance on animal products is in line with our five and 10-year 'ESG Ambitions' plan to support significant reductions in emissions and water use. This is also in line with the '30 by 30' aim of the Singapore government, a shared mission and synergy we find beneficial to our investment on the island," he adds.

Global meat alternative market estimates vary between US$10 billion and US$16 billion, which is around 1 per cent to 2 per cent share of the global meat market.

"This is growing rapidly and projected to reach 10 per cent in a decade. While the focus of the discussions is on meat, seafood is also very important in the Asian context. Although still lower compared to Europe and the US, Asia's meat and seafood alternative domestic market is projected to be the fastest growing region in the world, increasing 25 per cent to US$1.7 billion by 2025," says Mr Saplad.

He adds that while the innovation hub is very new, it is fully operational and is already very busy in activities with global, regional, local and selected startup customers for both the Asian domestic and export markets.

It is a business-to-business activity, and the innovation hub's clients' partner with it in many ways.

"But due to our discretion - while we are very proud of the product launches they have brought to the market, we are not at liberty to discuss specific brands and products," says Mr Saplad.

GROWTH ENGINE

Asia has been a growth engine for Firmenich, and Singapore has been a key strategic growth hub. "We remain committed to growing and expanding in Singapore, with the strong support and partnership of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and SwissCham Singapore," he adds.

"Firmenich's decision to select Singapore as its alternative proteins innovation hub in Asia is testimony to Singapore's role in creating and developing sustainable and innovative solutions to meet the nutritional needs of the region," says Ow Kai Onn, vice-president and head of chemicals and materials at EDB.

"Firmenich's presence in Singapore spans nearly 50 years, EDB is proud to support this undertaking, which would enable Firmenich to capture new growth opportunities as well as strengthen Singapore's flavour and fragrance speciality chemicals sector," he adds.

Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895 and has been family-owned for 125 years.

Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company specialised in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavours and ingredients.

Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science and taste modulation.

Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs (S$5.8 billion) as at end June 2020.

• More information about the company is available at www.firmenich.com