KALAMAZOO, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FlavorSum, a North American flavor producer, completed construction and opened a 35,000-square-foot expansion at its Kalamazoo, Michigan, facility. The increased footprint enhances the site’s emulsion, extraction, and warehousing capacity and includes investment in process automation to increase efficiency, quality, and safety. The on-site Innovation Center’s pilot plant has new UHT and HTST processing capabilities that support FlavorSum’s Dairy Center of Excellence.
“We remain focused on reducing the headaches associated with flavor sourcing and new product development,” says Brian Briggs, President and CEO of FlavorSum. “We continue to build our capabilities and resources as the go-to flavor solutions partner for small, mid-sized and emerging food and beverage companies. We’re grateful for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s shared commitment to the expansion that will deliver economic growth benefits to Michigan and the Kalamazoo region.”
In addition to Innovation Centers in Kalamazoo, MI, and Mississauga, ON, FlavorSum is opening a 10,000-square-foot Innovation Center in Marlton, New Jersey. The Center has expanded flavor creation lab, analytical and application spaces to facilitate collaborative sessions with a technical team that has expertise in food and beverage flavor solutions. The NJ Innovation Center will also house the Beverage Center of Excellence that features pilot capabilities for carbonation, canning, tunnel pasteurization, and hot filling.
“Our Innovation Centers offer customers the opportunity to partner on-site with our flavorists and applications experts and speed the product development cycle,” says Dave Franz, FlavorSum CCO. “We now have locations in close proximity to customers across the US and Canada that also give us access to multiple talent pools. Our operational structure helps customers achieve their growth goals with resources like market insights, regulatory experts, and streamlined commercialization processes. We prioritize continuous improvement to keep pace with their needs.”
An official ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony will occur at the Kalamazoo facility in Spring 2024.
FlavorSum helps growing North American food and beverage companies launch products quickly and cost-effectively. The company provides the flavor solution expertise and infrastructure required to keep pace with the changing needs of food and beverage buyers. FlavorSum is a portfolio company owned by The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm.
