Symrise has unveiled its new development, application and sensory laboratories in Dubai. The company has invested around €1 million (US$1.2 million) into the facilities to decode, design and deliver taste solutions for F&B brands in the regions of the Middle East, Pakistan and parts of Africa. 

The investment will focus on strategic future-forward categories, such as functional beverages and plant protein.

Symrise has been operating in the Middle East for many decades, with its first sub-regional offices opening in Dubai in 2005. Since then, the company has seen double-digit growth year on year with its partners across the Middle East region.

Dirk Bennwitz, flavors president for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, describes the move as the next phase of the company’s business growth through its new sub-regional center. 

“This will help us further consolidate our strong foothold in the Middle East and Africa sub-region.”

“Our investment in the new hub, our human resources and the ‘ultramodern’ creation, development and application facilities will allow us to identify and decipher industry trends and deliver innovation to our customers across strategic categories and the future of food segments: functional beverages and plant protein.”

Location, location, location
To meet its partners’ demands and accommodate its growing team, the company recently moved to the iconic Gold Tower Building in the Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC), Dubai’s dedicated hub for global trade, business and specialist industries.

The center spreads across 10,500 square feet and occupies the entire lower penthouse level/36th floor of the Gold Tower. The workspace has been designed in line with the company’s four pillars of sustainability in mind; footprint, innovation, sourcing and care. 

It is also working toward achieving carbon neutral status to support the Symrise global objective of halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and reaching positive climate operations from 2030 onwards.

Flavor development 
The facilities are designed to support the development of consumer-led winning concepts and taste solutions for high-growth categories, beverages, culinary, dairy, snacks and confectionery.

The premises will allow the company to support diverse working styles and is split into various working and meeting areas for Symrise Middle East’s expanding cross-functional teams to interact and collaborate. 

The application and sensory laboratories will help the teams – from marketing, sensory and consumer insights to regulatory, technical and commercial – to continue achieving flavor and nutrition evaluation.

The sensory booths, wher panelists taste, evaluate, and describe flavors in an application, feature equipment and programs that help design solutions to meet customers’ expectations.

Speed to market
Sofiane Berrahmoune, director for the Sub-Region Middle East and Africa and the managing director of Symrise Middle East, adds: “With this strategic expansion, Symrise will deliver even greater speed to market. 

“The modern lab will help us customize products to local and regional tastes with international standards. And our advanced facilities will enable us to better serve demand in the market and optimally align our business with our customers”.

Symrise positions itself as a leading contributor to the evolution of the F&B industry in the Middle East. 

“We could only do this by continuously investing and developing our human resources and technical capabilities,” Berrahmoune outlines.

“We are committed to co-create with our clients profitable, strategic and sustainable growth, combining the best of nature and best of science, as well as leveraging our strong global footprint with our winning local flexibility, market and consumer understanding.”