SOLON, Ohio, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestle today celebrated the grand opening of its new Nestle Research & Development Center in Solon, Ohio, and marked the completion of a $50 million, two-year project to establish this global center dedicated to transforming the way the world enjoys frozen and chilled foods. In the new 144,000 square foot facility, Nestle R&D Solon will balance consumer-centered innovation with technology leadership.
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While the center's mission is to sustain global needs, its location in Ohio reflects the growth in size and complexity of Nestle's frozen and chilled foods businesses in the United States, where well-known Nestle brands lead in their various categories. That growth made an expanded and collaborative research and development effort necessary.
"Few areas of research are as complex as food research," said Johannes Baensch, Head of Global Product & Technology Development, Nestec Ltd. "Nestle has a long-standing reputation for excellence in research on food and nutrition and this Research Center is regarded as one of the world's leading laboratories in food and life sciences. By creating Nestle R&D Solon, we are transporting a significant piece of our global research expertise to the United States, our largest global market."
Baensch continued: "Nestle has been dedicated to enhancing people's lives since Henri Nestle founded the company nearly 150 years ago. Today, we're still focused on offering good food that provides added health benefits, fulfills the highest safety standards and offers nutritional advantages. Food also must look and taste good, and offer convenience to consumers. Our Nestle R&D Solon team will help to improve every aspect of the frozen and chilled foods we market with this vision in mind."
In addition to developing R&D strategy for Nestle's worldwide frozen and chilled foods businesses, the experts at Nestle R&D Solon will focus on product innovation and renovation that both meet Nestle's Nutrition Foundation requirements and balance taste with nutrition, by exploring ways to reduce sodium and saturated fat, eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, incorporate more vegetables, and create gluten-free and high-protein options. The team will also provide expert technical assistance to Nestle production facilities around the world, as well as guidance in the important areas of nutrition, food processing, food quality, and food safety. Incorporated into the design is a pilot plant where the latest technology advancements and new recipes can be evaluated and refined for introduction into the marketplace.
"We're experiencing one of the most profound shifts in how people eat right now. To address the ever-changing landscape, we're striving to make our products healthier and tastier using unmatched R&D capability, nutrition science and passion for quality in everything we do," said Paul Grimwood, Chairman and CEO of Nestle USA. "I'm pleased that Nestle R&D Solon will enable us to better anticipate and provide consumers with the food choices they deserve and the quality they have come to expect from Nestle."
The launch of Nestle R&D Solon is a significant expansion of the company's already strong presence in Ohio and establishes Solon as the center of excellence for the largest frozen and chilled foods market in the world. The new center builds on a number of Nestle businesses that either launched in Solon, such as Stouffer's®, Lean Cuisine®, and Nestle Toll House® cookie doughs, or have relocated there, including Hot Pockets® and Lean Pockets®, DiGiorno®, California Pizza Kitchen®, Tombstone® and Jack's® pizza brands. Over time, the company's U.S. frozen and chilled foods businesses have consolidated to this one large campus, also home to Nestle Professional's Culinary Innovation Center.
"It's a great honor to expand our presence and partnership with the state of Ohio and the Solon community, which wouldn't be possible without ongoing support from Governor John Kasich and his JobsOhio team, and Solon Mayor Susan Drucker and the city of Solon," Grimwood commented.
Nestle has long been a steady employer in the region. With the 2014 move of Nestle Pizza to Solon and the opening of this facility, Nestle now employs over 2,200 in the Cleveland area, 3,400 in Ohio and over 51,000 in the United States. Nestle R&D Solon houses 120 chefs, consumer researchers, packaging specialists, designers, engineers and scientists; over 40 employees have joined the center since the project was announced in 2013.
"The new center is an invaluable addition to our R&D capabilities," said Sean Westcott, Director of Nestle R&D Solon. "We've truly created a community of experts to help fuel innovative ideas that offer consumers the frozen and chilled foods choices they want. Our leadership in the frozen and chilled foods categories and our focus on nutrition, health and wellness mean that Nestle can improve what food options we provide to Americans and our consumers around the world. That's good for business, good for consumers, and an achievement that makes us proud."
Nestle R&D Solon is one of 12 "centers of excellence" for global product and process development, opening it to the full breadth and depth of the world's largest private food and nutrition research and development network, and fostering information sharing for Nestle businesses across the world, including factories in Germany, France and Italy.
About Nestle in the United States Nestle in the United States is committed to being a trusted leader in nutrition, health and wellness. Our diverse portfolio of food and beverage products provide nutritious options for every member of the family, including infants, toddlers, teens and adults, mature adults, and dogs and cats. Nestle in the U.S. consists of seven main businesses: Nestle USA, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, Nestle Waters North America, Nestle Nutrition, Nestle Professional, Nespresso and Nestle Health Science. Together, these companies operate in more than 120 locations in 47 states and employ over 51,000 people. The United States is Nestle S.A.'s largest market with combined product sales in the United States totaling more than $26 billion in 2014.
At Nestle, we believe that for our business to prosper in the long term, we must create value for our employees, customers, stakeholders, consumers and the communities where we live and work. Nestle embeds Creating Shared Value (CSV) into every part of its business, from nutrition and wellness to environmental sustainability and responsible sourcing. For more information, visit: http://www.nestleusa.com/creating-shared-value
About Nestle Research & Development Nestle operates the largest Research & Development network of any food company in the world. Over 5,000 people are involved in Nestle Research & Development either through our two fundamental research centres or the 39 research, development and technology facilities and 300 Application Groups around the world. Learn more at www.nestle.com/RandD.
In addition to Nestle R&D Solon, Nestle operates another research facility in Marysville, Ohio, which specializes in ready-to-drink beverage development, premium coffee and tea. Over 250 employees are based there, providing expertise in beverage science, packaging and technology.
The Nestle Quality Assurance Center (NQAC) is located in nearby Dublin, Ohio, where 150 professional and technical staff – including chemists, microbiologists, food scientists, quality specialists and support staff – provide specialized laboratory services to Nestle clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NQAC Dublin serves as the lead Quality Assurance Center for Nestle in the Americas.
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