Page 26 - Food & Drink magazine June 2021

PLANT DESIGN & FITOUT
Kerry opens HQ innovation hub
A new ANZ headquarters and development hub for taste and nutrition company Kerry will create greater opportunities for its customers. Kim Berry writes.
“ It brings the benefits of our global technologies to local food and beverage producers
– supporting regional industry development.”
So I think for me, it’s a positive investment and, we’ve upgraded the equipment that we have. We’ve got more technology in the building. This is going to stand us in good stead for the next 20 years,”
Palmer says that when it came to fitout, Kerry has suppliers it has worked
with for a long time. “With equipment, it is a long-
term partnership across
the culinary space. On the sensory science side, we have proprietary Kerry technology, which is the software that we actually use to design the test and gather the data.”
Giuliano says Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) has identified major challenges for the food and beverage industry being the ability for businesses to easily adapt and respond
to rapidly evolving consumer needs and changing business and market conditions.
For Palmer, major trends Kerry is seeing from its customers are in the free-from and reduction categories.
“In terms of projects, it’s reduction – sodium and or
fat; adding nutrition back –
the addition of proteins or
our proprietary gut health probiotics. It is taste and nutrition. We work across broad range of products, whether we’re doing something for ice cream, whether it’s a sugar-free syrup or reduced calorie syrup, or a ripple that goes into an ice cream. Or whether it’s a beverage, which
is not just indulgent, but it’s certainly got the nutritional aspects that give you the health benefit, but also you enjoy it.”
The new centre brings the technologies, pilot plants and Kerry’s own factory into one
TASTE and nutrition company Kerry has opened its new headquarters and ANZ Development and Application Centre in Brisbane, Queensland. Its existing Sydney facility will be a specialist R&D applications hub.
Kerry general manager ANZ Christine Giuliano says the new facility reflects changing industry needs and will unlock growth opportunities for the company in the region.
Guiliano says, “It’s a major investment for our own business and it’s a real strong commitment by Kerry globally to make sure that we’re working locally with our customers and bringing the best of the world down here, down and up, and across to our colleagues in
New Zealand as well.”
The investment has been
supported by the Queensland
Government’s Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund.
The facility offers end-to-end capabilities including pilot plants, laboratories and tasting facilities.
“It brings the benefits of our global technologies to local food and beverage producers – supporting regional industry development. Our team at the new centre will
be able to leverage Kerry’s R&D network around the world,” Giuliano explains.
“That local focus on local customers ensures we’ll be able to work very closely with them to realise products in a very short space of time, and then commercialise in a very short space of time. It allows us to answer the current needs of the consumer, but also realise their export opportunities as well,
which is where we really see great value to our customers.”
Kerry ANZ research, development and applications director Michael Palmer says the scoping and build took longer than anticipated – COVID-19 didn’t help – but the end result is two world-class centres.
“Brisbane is the hardcore development centre. The
pilot plant is here, and we’ve digitised what we do in terms
of sensory analysis. We also have a sensory centre, which complements what we have in Sydney. Meanwhile Sydney has the pilot plants, which in turn complements what we have here in Brisbane.
“There are two different centres with two different functions, but at the same time, it gives us this reach across Australia we didn’t have before.
26 | Food&Drink business | June 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au