Cargill, a leading global food and agribusiness, today announced the opening of the Cargill Cocoa Development Center, the first of its kind in Asia-Pacific (APAC). Located in Gresik, Indonesia, the Cocoa Development Center is seamlessly integrated into Cargill’s cocoa processing plant within the same site, designed with one purpose in mind – to enable customer-driven innovation with greater speed and agility. Strategically situated in Indonesia, one of the world’s largest cocoa-producing countries, this pioneering Cargill Cocoa Development Center was established to address the fast-changing Asian consumer preferences by facilitating the faster creation of cocoa products with unique and desired taste profiles.

“Asia stands out for its immense innovation potential as the fastest-growing region that currently accounts for about 25 percent of cocoa consumption in the world. Across this region are different and distinctive consumer palates influenced by its geographical and cultural diversity. Cargill Cocoa Development Center is a substantial investment that strengthens our capability to innovate for Asian consumers as a “bean to bar” innovation partner to our customers, backed by our extensive global supply chain networks, deep market insights and customized sustainability solutions,” said Francesca Kleemans, Managing Director, Food Solutions Southeast Asia, Cargill.

The state-of-the-art Cocoa Development Center has a comprehensive suite of facilities that enable proficiency in small-scale product and process development. It operates as an advanced pilot commercial production facility, allowing for faster prototype development and product trials from cocoa beans to cocoa ingredients. Positioned as a one-stop shop for tailored cocoa solutions where Cargill customers can co-create and experiment with cocoa recipes before embarking on large-scale production, the Cocoa Development Center enhances Cargill’s existing global R&D intelligence and networks by enabling an end-to-end innovation from cocoa product development to food and drinks application.

Embarking on an innovative and sustainable journey to bring tailored cocoa products to life, Cargill invites customers to Gresik, Indonesia, to co-create breakthrough solutions. “This Cocoa Development Center serves as a catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and the advancement of new, sustainable cocoa products. Through this Centre, we are excited to collaborate and innovate more closely with our customers to bring innovative food solutions to delight consumers across Asia and the world,” added Francesca.